A dangerously close encounter for hikers who stumbled across a large grizzly bear feeding on a carcass has forced the temporary closure of the Sundance Canyon Loop and Sundance Pass trails in Banff.
Parks Canada wildlife experts say the grizzly – possibly a 500-600 pound male known as 122 – was feeding on a carcass on the edge of the trail when a group of five or six hikers approached at about 3 p.m. on Sunday (Aug. 11).
“It was a very close encounter with the bear on top of a buried carcass. They were quite lucky there wasn’t a contact situation,” said Steve Michel, a human-wildlife conflict specialist for Banff National Park.
“He came off the carcass and came towards them at very close range, within a couple of metres. He was right there. He was vocalizing quite well,” Michel added.
“This situation turned out okay, but it could unfortunately have been one of these situations that may not have had a positive outcome with a bear being defensive.”
A lone female hiker initially saw the bear close to the trail from about 20 metres away, quietly retreated and phoned Parks Canada’s dispatch to let wildlife officers know the bear was near the trail.
When resource conservation officers went to respond, they came across the shaken group of five or six hikers who had just had a close encounter with the feeding grizzly. It is not known if the hikers had bear spray.
Michel said the closure will remain in place for about a week to allow the grizzly bear to feed in peace. It is not known what kind of animal the carcass is, or whether the bear killed it or scavenged it.
“It’s always our preference to allow natural events to play out on the landscape. We want to allow bears and other carnivores to feed on any prey they may have killed or scavenged,” said Michel.
“Sometimes we’re not able to do that for resident or visitor safety, depending on the locations and different complexities, but in this case, we could do the closure.”
Michel said Sunday’s close encounter is a good reminder for people to hike in groups, carry bear spray and know how to use it, make lots of noise, and be aware of surroundings, such as buffaloberries.
He said this year’s berry crop in Banff appears to be spotty. A few patches are okay, but a lot of patches look fairly poor. The berries are a calorie-rich source of food for bears in Banff.
“Keep in mind with increased buffaloberries, there’s also increased potential for a defensive encounter with a grizzly,” said Michel.
“People need to be aware and take necessary precautions, because you don’t want an accidental close range encounter with a grizzly bear like this.”
Several groups had reported seeing a large grizzly bear in the area that day, and there were confirmed sightings of bear 122 in the general area of the Marsh Loop and Sundance trail the previous day.
Wildlife experts can’t confirm the bear is 122, but suspect so.
Bear 122 was captured last year as part of a joint Parks Canada-Canadian Pacific Railway project to prevent bears getting killed on the train tracks, but his GPS collar is no longer functioning.
Michel said he would like to capture bear 122 again if possible, remove his malfunctioning collar and replace it with a new one.
“He is a large dominant male on the landscape and he provides us with valuable information,” he said. “We’re certainly keeping an eye on the possibility of re-capturing him, but this is not one of those situations.”
All bear sightings should be reported to Parks Canada dispatch at 403-762-1470.
