Four bears killed on national park roads
CALGARY — Four black bears have been killed and three others — including a grizzly — have been injured on highways and railways in the national parks so far this spring.
Officials and conservationists say the deaths are a reminder for motorists to watch their speed in the mountains.
“We’ve had three confirmed mortalities … in the last eight days,” said Rick Kubian, resource conservation manager with Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay national parks.
On June 11, a male black bear died on the Trans-Canada Highway in Yoho. Two days later, a year-old black bear cub was hit and killed near Olive Lake on Highway 93 S., where a no-stopping restriction is in place to protect bears in the area.
The third death was just after midnight last Saturday when a bear was struck on the train tracks east of Protection Mountain in Banff National Park.
A fourth bear was killed when it was struck by a vehicle on the Trans-Canada Highway in Yoho on May 14.
Three other bears have also been injured this spring after being hit by vehicles or trains.
On Monday, a black bear was hit on the Trans-Canada Highway near the Cascade power plant.
Conservation officers, who were also dealing with two other black bears on the highway, cut a hole in the wildlife fence to get the injured bear back on the other side.