The weather is warming and hibernation for bears is coming to an end, meaning it’s time for Cochranites to brush up on their bear-smart behaviours.
With spring’s arrival, local bears have started to emerge from their dens, and people will be sharing the valley bottoms with them.
Emerging from their lengthy hibernation in spring, bears are sluggish and aren’t usually as aggressive as they may be come the fall.
But since they may have a hard time finding food, they may be venturing into towns – like Cochrane – where developed areas border on the Bow Valley corridor.
Bear No. 122, the patriarch of Bow Valley bears – also known as The Boss – was recently spotted by a local resident in an area near the Bow Valley Parkway west of Banff on March 23. It was the first confirmed grizzly bear sighting of the year in Banff National Park, according to authorities.
Two days later, a resident had a close encounter with a black bear on the periphery of the Banff townsite near Mineral Springs Hospital.
Bears typically don’t move to higher elevations until the snow disappears and vegetation greens up later in the season.
John Paczkowski, Human Wildlife Coexistence Team Lead at Alberta Parks in Canmore, said April is always a good time to remind people about how to act around bears.
“Certainly, the bears are coming out of their dens, typically the males come out first. So there are bears still in their dens but it’s a matter of having the public get their minds set a little bit [that] it’s time to start thinking bears,” Paczkowski said.
He said people using trails or otherwise spending time out in the country may not expect to see bears while there’s still snow on the ground, but that doesn’t mean they’re not out there.
“It means getting your head into the game, so to speak – it’s a matter of being alert, making noise when you’re out there on the trail, certainly carrying bear spray, [and] where possible, travelling in groups,” he said.
Dogs can provoke all sorts of aggressive responses in bears. For the dog’s and the bear’s safety, Paczkowski said keeping dogs on a leash is critical.
For people living in developments in Cochrane that border on natural habitats – like Fireside and Riverview – Paczkowski said food management is key this time of year, as natural nutrition sources for bears are scarce and they would be more than willing to feed on left-out garbage or other bear attractants, such as bird feeders.
He said there’s no need to be overly fearful of hungry bears roaming around.
“It’s not like the bears come out of the den and say, ‘Oh my God, I’m starving, I’m going to eat everything in sight.’ It typically takes them a little bit to warm up their digestive system,” he said.
“If you haven’t eaten or digested anything for six months, you’re not going to dive into a big steak or something.”
Regional wildlife biologist for the Bow District Collin Letain said the timing of when bears emerge from their dens depends on snowpack and temperature, and their condition the previous fall.
“So say there was a poor berry crop and they didn’t have as much food, they may come out earlier,” he said.
Last year was a poor berry year.
Based in Cochrane, Letain said the most active months for bear sightings in town are June to September. Last year, there were 15 occurrences of black bears spotted in town. Some of those may have been duplicate reports of the same bear, and some occurrences may have included multiple animals.
He said Cochrane bears are following the terrain, moving west to east for the most part, along river valleys and stream beds like Jumping Pound and Bighill creeks.
Letain had some specific advice for those living near the outskirts.
“If you live in those areas backing onto Jumping Pound or the Bow River Valley, make sure you’re removing garbage from your yard, and put your garbage out for collection the morning of, not the night before,” he said.
“Don’t give them the night to get curious.”
He called anywhere west of Cochrane “bear country.”
And he said that while the bears are indeed groggy when they first awake, they’re still hungry, and there’s no greenery available right now.
“We’re in that transition period,” he said. “They’re moving into the valley bottoms right now, and they’ll go for whatever’s available.”
He added that the recent warmer temperatures will help make some natural bear food more attainable soon.
“So things like dandelions, clovers, sedges and horsetails will green up in the river valleys,” he said.
To report a bear in a threatening situation, call the Report-A-Poacher line at 1-800-642-3800, 24/7.
People looking to just report a non-threatening sighting can use the Government of Alberta general contact line at 310-0000 during regular business hours.
Parks Canada has a video on its website – www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIvpLzHiCrg – demonstrating how to effectively use bear spray.
