CANMORE – The Town of Canmore will crack down on property owners whose fruit trees attract bears.
Several black bears are making the rounds in and around town in search of food, including mamma bears with cubs. At least one bear family has been relocated out of downtown Canmore for public safety reasons after being attracted to apple trees.
Town of Canmore officials say community peace officers will be proactively addressing properties with fruit trees to address any infractions of the community standards bylaw, specifically around allowing a wildlife attractant to accumulate on a property.
“Through an educational compliance approach, either warnings or fines will be issued depending on the circumstance,” said Caitlin Miller, manager of protective services for the Town of Canmore.
“We encourage all residents to remove fruit from their trees as soon as possible to help protect both the community and bears,” she added.
“Community peace officers have been on several bear calls assisting other agencies over the last couple of weeks and have been following up on wildlife attractants and fruit trees as appropriate.”
Provincial wildlife staff are hoping a female black bear with three cubs making their rounds on the north side of Canmore will move out of residential neighbourhoods where they have been snacking on berries and fruit.
Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers say they have had many calls about this bear family this week, beginning on Aug. 28 when the four bears were near a playground on Moraine Road.
“We were able to tree the sow in one tree and the cubs were in other trees, however, she was too high in the tree for us to safely immobilize her,” said Samantha Hillier, an Alberta Fish and Wildlife officer.
“We were fearful that if she fell – the tree was right next to a fence and a shed as well – we just didn’t want to hurt her.”
The Fish and Wildlife team allowed the stressed cubs to come out of the trees in hope that the mamma bear’s protective instincts would kick in and she would climb down.
However, all the cubs joined their mom in the same spruce tree and all four bears climbed up even higher.
“We decided at that time, the best option was to disengage, and not try to immobilize them, just for fear their safety would be at risk,” said Hillier.
“I went back and checked later and they were all up that same tree having a snooze, so that was probably the best option.”
By Aug. 30, this bear family moved towards the eastern edge of town off Elk Run Boulevard.
“She’s moved even further to the edge of town, so since then we haven’t received any other calls about her, so we’re hoping she did make it off to that wildlife corridor,” said Hillier.
“If we can, we do want to relocate her if she sticks around.”
There have been no official reports that this female black bear has shown any signs of aggression.
“She’s quite timid, I would say. She went up the tree very easily, so when they go up the trees it does mean that they are scared,” said Hillier.
“She didn’t try to stand her ground and she went up that tree very easily and she went up quite high.”
To the best of their knowledge, Fish and Wildlife officers don’t believe the bear and cubs have gotten into any unsecured food or garbage.
“There hasn’t been any report that she’s gotten into any human attractants like garbage or bird feeders, or things like that, so that’s good,” said Hillier.
“But there’s tons of mountain ash berries in that area, and those residential areas have lots of trees and berry bushes, and she’s eating more natural vegetation.”
The sow and her three cubs moved across the highway and were on the northwest edge of Canmore and were last seen on Tuesday (Sept. 6) on the edge of the Canmore Gold and Curling Club.
"The club closed the hole down and the bears moved off," said Luis Carlos Flores Aguilar, a spokesperson for Alberta Environment and Parks.
A black bear and cub captured in a backyard off 10th Street in downtown Canmore on Monday (Aug. 29) were feasting on apples.
“That’s the reason why she was in there,” said Hillier.
The day before, Fish and Wildlife were called to an area behind the Sage Bistro where the bear and her cub were hanging out.
“We tried to haze her down the train tracks going out towards Banff, which we thought worked, but obviously not. She just went further into town following the fruit,” said Hillier.
“She was right downtown Canmore and for public safety, of course, we had to try to relocate her.”
The mamma bear and her cub were relocated to an area north of Canmore, far enough away it is hoped they won’t return.
One provincial study indicates relocation of black bears has only a 30 per cent success rate.
Hillier said public safety is top of mind and this bear was getting into fruit in a yard in a busy downtown area.
“We’re working with the Town of Canmore bylaw (department) to really start cracking down on that,” Hillier said.
Part 4 of Canmore’s new community standards bylaw speaks to wildlife attractants, which replaces the old wildlife attractant bylaw.
The bylaw states no person shall permit a wildlife attractant to be placed or remain in an outdoor location where the wildlife attractant is accessible to wildlife. Wildlife attractant is defined as any substance that could reasonably be expected to attract wildlife, including, but not limited to fruit, garbage, refuse, food, food waste, and compost.
“A new addition, is that the planting of any new trees that produce fruit is not allowed,” said Adam Robertson, communications advisor for the Town of Canmore.
“And you still must clean up any fruit on the tree or ground if you currently have a fruit tree on your property.”
The Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley has a free tool lending library to help residents remove fruit from their trees and bushes.
“With the poor buffaloberry crop this year, it is important that residents remove all attractants from their property,” said Robertson
For those interesting in removing their fruit-bearing trees, the Town of Canmore offers an incentive program.
The municipality will cover 50 per cent of the costs of removal up to a maximum of $300.
“The program is now open to all areas in town; we have removed the priority areas that were previously identified,” said Robertson.
Residents and visitors are reminded to carry bear spray and know how to use it, make noise to let bears know you are there, watch for fresh tracks, droppings, diggings, torn-up logs; and keep dogs on leash at all time.
“We all have to do our part,” said Hillier.
