A hungry black bear tried unsuccessfully to break into a mobile home in Bow Valley Provincial Park twice, causing bear in area warnings to go up.
On Sept. 29-30, the bear tried to break into a trailer in the campground, scaring the residents and damaging the building. By the third night, the bear was nowhere to be found.
Conservation Officer Arian Spiteri said there was no evidence of animal attractants around the trailer, but it’s likely the bear was looking for a meal.
“This behaviour indicates the bear is food conditioned,” said Spiteri. “We suspect it has had success somewhere else and was searching for anything to eat.”
Bear warnings went up at Bow Valley Campground, Willow Rock Campground and Camp Chief Hector, but there have been no sightings since.
“It’s strange behaviour, but it’s explainable. Bears are trying to pack on the calories and human food is so much higher in calories. If they get easy access, they’ll take it because the reward is so much greater,” Spiteri said.
Since conservation officers suspect the bear is food conditioned, they’re still warning the public to clean up campsites, residences and dumpsters, as well as fruit trees, and ensure bear proof dumpsters are latched shut.
A black bear was found in a fruit tree in Exshaw last week, but by the time wildlife officials found it, it had been hit by a train. Fish and Wildlife Officer Dave Dickson said the bear had been tagged five years ago, and there was no sign of grain on the tracks where the bear was hit.
“It was hit in the middle of the night. The bear is older and probably knew about trains, but sometimes these things happen,” Dickson said.
Bears are food stressed at this time of year, Dickson said, and they can be bold in their hunt for calories. Bear sightings have been rare this year, but Dickson also received a report of a large brown bear moving through Cougar Creek.
“We don’t want him hanging around looking for attractants. He could still be in town or he could be in Banff by now,” Dickson said. The officer is quite concerned the bear could get into garbage after he found two unsecured bear bins in the area on Tuesday.
In other wildlife news, a small female elk was found dead on Larch Islands in Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park on Sunday afternoon. Spiteri discovered the elk on a routine patrol, and it was being scavenged by ravens. The area was immediately closed.
“It doesn’t look like a grizzly kill or cougar kill, but a large predator could claim it overnight,” Spiteri said.
She let the scavengers feast on the carcass for two days before removing it Tuesday afternoon. Since the scent is still there, the area remains closed.
