Wildlife is abundant in Jasper National Park which is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies. Visitors from all over the world travel to Alberta to enjoy its rugged wilderness defined by massive glaciers, pristine lakes, towering peaks and resident wild animals. Seeing wildlife while driving through Jasper is a common occurrence and the park has extensive guidelines on how to do it safely. The first, most obvious and most important rule is to remain in your vehicle.
Unfortunately this group of tourists who spotted a black bear emerging from the woods near Honeymoon Lake along Highway 93 chose to disregard the rules and exited their vehicles standing feet away from the bear to get unobstructed pictures. Luckily this bear only bluff charged, a non-predatory behavior used to scare away perceived threats:
“We were driving down the Highway 93, near Honeymoon Lake today when we saw a traffic jam. It turned out there was a Black bear at the side of the road and tourists were getting out of their car. All of a sudden we see someone running around the car and a bear charging towards a woman. Fortunately the bear doesn’t follow through and the woman is able to walk away.”
Jasper National Park Roadside Wildlife Guidelines:
Drive with care and be prepared to avoid a collision at all times. Be especially cautious at dusk and dawn, when many animals are most active, and visibility is poor.
If you see an animal by the road:
- Slow down. It could run out into your path at any time.
- Warn other motorists by flashing your hazard lights.
- Where there is one animal, expect others nearby.
If you wish to stop and view roadside wildlife:
- Pull safely out of traffic.
- Remain in your vehicle.
- Move on after a few minutes.
If you see a bear… consider not stopping! If you see a bear beside the road, consider this:
It may run onto the road.
At any time, anywhere. And especially if there are crowds of people stopping to watch it, getting out of their cars, approaching too closely. In the past 10 years, 125 bears have been killed on roads in the mountain national parks.
It is stronger and faster than you are.
It may look ‘docile’, but a bear that appears unconcerned about your presence is the one you should fear the most. It’s obviously not afraid of you, and it could be getting a bit bothered by all the people who keep disturbing it – all day long, day after day…
It is likely eating or looking for food.
Bears have to eat almost constantly during the snow-free months to accumulate enough energy to survive their long winter hibernation. Being able to feed undisturbed may make the difference between life or death for that bear or, if it’s a female, for her offspring: though she may have mated in the spring, she can’t get pregnant unless she builds up enough body fat over the summer.
It could be a female.
In this harsh mountain environment, it takes a female grizzly 7 years to reach breeding age, and her cubs will stay with her for 3 or 4 years. This means she may only produce two litters of offspring in her lifetime – a very low reproductive rate. The unnatural loss of any individual, especially a female, is therefore a serious threat to the long-term survival of the population.
It could be an adolescent.
Trying to find its place in a difficult world, an adolescent bear is highly susceptible to picking up bad habits (like losing its natural fear of people) and getting into trouble (by approaching people for food). The fact that relatively few roadside adolescent bears survive to maturity in our busy parks is one of the reasons that scientists fear for the future of the grizzly in this part of the world.
If it loses its wildness, it probably won’t survive.
‘Habituated’ bears – bears that have lost their natural fear of humans – almost inevitably become ‘problem’ bears. They actively seek out places where people congregate because they have learned that where there are people, there is also food and garbage to eat. Over time they become increasingly more aggressive in their search for an easy meal. Problem bears usually end up having to be removed or destroyed because of the threat they pose to public safety. It is very difficult, and often impossible, to undo habituation. The only real solution is prevention.
Give Them the Space They Need
Please do your part to limit the impact that so many people have on park wildlife. Give all the animals you see the respect they deserve and the space they need. Enjoy a safe visit and ensure that future generations have the chance to see wildlife that is truly wild.
What should I do if I see a bear?
If you are not in a vehicle:
- Stay calm. If a bear rears on its hind legs and waves its nose about, it is trying to identify you. Remain still and talk calmly so that it knows you are human and not a prey animal. Bears may also bluff charge: run toward you and turn away at the last moment. A scream or sudden movement may trigger an attack.
- Pick up children, stay in a group.
- Back away slowly, don’t run.
- Leave the area. If this is impossible, wait until the bear leaves; make sure it has an escape route.