Grizzly that chased hikers ‘very friendly,’ official says
The grizzly bear that chased a group of hikers Sunday, as well as a dog sledder last month, is just being friendly.
But Bear 148, notorious for her previous pursuits of park-goers, is “very friendly,” said a Banff National Park official.
“She has literally hundreds of encounters every year with visitors and has not had a single contact charge or really negative encounter with people,” said Bill Hunt, the park’s resource conservation manager.
The grizzly was part of a five-year research program with collared bears that ended just recently. The expired collar collects no data.
Parks Canada is looking to put another collar on her soon, but, for now, is relying on the public to track her whereabouts.
The six-and-a-half-year-old grizzly was born and raised in the central Bow Valley and is what Hunt calls a “habituated bear,” comfortable in areas occupied by people. Much like her mother, Bear 148 has become familiar with the infrastructure and uses crossing structures and wildlife corridors to get around the park.
While she comes close to visitors, she doesn’t rely on litter or being fed by humans. “That’s where you cross into a dangerous situation,” said Hunt.
He said people should follow four simple steps to increase the safety of themselves and wildlife: Visitors should travel in groups of four or more; everyone in a party should carry bear spray; dogs should remain on a leash at all times; and people should make lots of noise.
However, Hunt urges visitors to re-consider bringing a dog because of its resemblance to coyotes or wolves. When bears encounter those animals, they either give them space or a conflict arises. A dog’s similarities are likely to elicit either curiosity or an aggressive response, like the incident on Sunday.
Parks Canada uses a tracking system to record the movements of bears in the park. Negative encounters are rare, but, if they do occur, a team of experts will analyze the data to understand the factors that contributed to the occurrence.
If the animal is particularly aggressive or defensive, further action will be taken, said Hunt. To avoid serious situations, he said they focus most of their energy on educating the public on safe practices and encourage visitors to contact Parks Canada if they see or make contact with a bear.
“We need everybody’s participation and support to help keep these bears on the landscape,” said Hunt.