All four of Banff's grizzly cubs born in 2014 have been killed
Michael Platt, QMI Agency
First posted: Friday, January 16, 2015 06:33 AM EST | Updated: Friday, January 16, 2015 06:53 AM EST
CALGARY -- A grisly end -- but hopefully not an end to grizzlies.
That's the cautious concern being expressed by top bear experts in Alberta and Montana, after Banff National Park confirmed all four grizzly cubs born in the park last year have been killed.
"Anytime you have a complete mortality like this, it is cause for concern," said Brian Horejsi, a respected Alberta biologist and grizzly expert.
"I don't think anybody should panic about it, but we should look at it in the context that this is another indication that the population is having a difficult time staying viable."
Officials with Parks Canada have confirmed that the quartet of cubs, which emerged in pairs last spring behind two collared females, never returned to their dens for hibernation -- and the best guess is they were killed by roving male grizzlies.
"We can't be sure, but based on 40 years of research, I can say most of these bears die from reasons other than other bears killing them."
The four cubs were the only bears known to have been born in the Bow Valley in 2014, and in a year in which two grizzlies were killed on national park highways, the six-bruin death tally is a serious blow to a struggling population.
For one of the two grizzly sows, this marks the second time she has lost both of her cubs in a single season -- indeed, not one of Bear 130's four cubs so far has managed to survive to maturity in the Banff region.
In October 2012, the yearling pair from her first litter was killed on the rail tracks west of the Banff townsite.
All park officials know about the fate of Bear 130's latest cubs is that they were last seen in late June.
Banff's human-wildlife conflict department suspects the two fell victim to male bears roaming the same area -- and that's also their belief for the two cubs belonging to Bear 138, who denned near the Lake Louise ski hill last year, forcing the closure of an area.
She emerged in spring with two cubs, and photos of the trio were a social media sensation -- but a short time later, one of the small bears was found on the Trans-Canada Highway in state of distress, having been separated from the mother.
Parks staff managed to herd that cub back to Bear 138, but the second cub was never found -- and in an area where large male grizzlies were known to be roaming, the fate of both cubs may have been sealed.
Biologist Horejsi says that is probably just pure speculation -- and with up to 70% of grizzly cubs dying in their first year from all manner of accidents and mishaps, Horejsi says blaming male bears is likely a guess.
"We can't be sure, but based on 40 years of research, I can say most of these bears die from reasons other than other bears killing them," he said.
"What it means for the population, it's too soon to say at this point -- but certainly, it is a concern anytime you have a year with no known recruitment."
If not for the already tenuous state of Banff's grizzly population, says Horejsi, four cubs dying would not be an issue, because the mortality rate is always high.
But the Bow Valley is different, in that bears and wildlife in general are in constant conflict with people -- and natural infant mortality cycles are competing with very unnatural and often deadly surroundings.
"This only increases the tension in a population trying to maintain itself, or in the case of Banff, trying to recover, because I believe the population in Banff is far below what it would be with less human impact," said Horejsi.
"The bear population in Banff is subjected to what I would call over threshold levels of cumulative effects, whether it's death on the tracks or the road or other reasons."
The most recent estimate has 65 grizzlies roaming Banff National Park, 109 in Jasper, up to 15 in Yoho and between nine and 16 in Kootenay National Park.
In July, male Bear 149 was killed on Hwy. 93, while male Bear 123 -- an orphan who lost his mother to a train four years ago -- was fatally stuck down on the Trans-Canada Highway through Yoho in October.
Montana-based wildlife biologist Michael Sawaya, who has conducted previous studies on the Bow Valley grizzly numbers, says the death of the four cubs is bad news -- but it remains to be seen whether the loss is a serious blow to the seemingly fragile population.
"What it means for the population, it's too soon to say at this point -- but certainly, it is a concern anytime you have a year with no known recruitment," said Sawaya.
michael.platt@sunmedia.ca
All four of Banff's grizzly cubs born in 2014 have been killed | Canada | News |
Michael Platt, QMI Agency
First posted: Friday, January 16, 2015 06:33 AM EST | Updated: Friday, January 16, 2015 06:53 AM EST
CALGARY -- A grisly end -- but hopefully not an end to grizzlies.
That's the cautious concern being expressed by top bear experts in Alberta and Montana, after Banff National Park confirmed all four grizzly cubs born in the park last year have been killed.
"Anytime you have a complete mortality like this, it is cause for concern," said Brian Horejsi, a respected Alberta biologist and grizzly expert.
"I don't think anybody should panic about it, but we should look at it in the context that this is another indication that the population is having a difficult time staying viable."
Officials with Parks Canada have confirmed that the quartet of cubs, which emerged in pairs last spring behind two collared females, never returned to their dens for hibernation -- and the best guess is they were killed by roving male grizzlies.
"We can't be sure, but based on 40 years of research, I can say most of these bears die from reasons other than other bears killing them."
The four cubs were the only bears known to have been born in the Bow Valley in 2014, and in a year in which two grizzlies were killed on national park highways, the six-bruin death tally is a serious blow to a struggling population.
For one of the two grizzly sows, this marks the second time she has lost both of her cubs in a single season -- indeed, not one of Bear 130's four cubs so far has managed to survive to maturity in the Banff region.
In October 2012, the yearling pair from her first litter was killed on the rail tracks west of the Banff townsite.
All park officials know about the fate of Bear 130's latest cubs is that they were last seen in late June.
Banff's human-wildlife conflict department suspects the two fell victim to male bears roaming the same area -- and that's also their belief for the two cubs belonging to Bear 138, who denned near the Lake Louise ski hill last year, forcing the closure of an area.
She emerged in spring with two cubs, and photos of the trio were a social media sensation -- but a short time later, one of the small bears was found on the Trans-Canada Highway in state of distress, having been separated from the mother.
Parks staff managed to herd that cub back to Bear 138, but the second cub was never found -- and in an area where large male grizzlies were known to be roaming, the fate of both cubs may have been sealed.
Biologist Horejsi says that is probably just pure speculation -- and with up to 70% of grizzly cubs dying in their first year from all manner of accidents and mishaps, Horejsi says blaming male bears is likely a guess.
"We can't be sure, but based on 40 years of research, I can say most of these bears die from reasons other than other bears killing them," he said.
"What it means for the population, it's too soon to say at this point -- but certainly, it is a concern anytime you have a year with no known recruitment."
If not for the already tenuous state of Banff's grizzly population, says Horejsi, four cubs dying would not be an issue, because the mortality rate is always high.
But the Bow Valley is different, in that bears and wildlife in general are in constant conflict with people -- and natural infant mortality cycles are competing with very unnatural and often deadly surroundings.
"This only increases the tension in a population trying to maintain itself, or in the case of Banff, trying to recover, because I believe the population in Banff is far below what it would be with less human impact," said Horejsi.
"The bear population in Banff is subjected to what I would call over threshold levels of cumulative effects, whether it's death on the tracks or the road or other reasons."
The most recent estimate has 65 grizzlies roaming Banff National Park, 109 in Jasper, up to 15 in Yoho and between nine and 16 in Kootenay National Park.
In July, male Bear 149 was killed on Hwy. 93, while male Bear 123 -- an orphan who lost his mother to a train four years ago -- was fatally stuck down on the Trans-Canada Highway through Yoho in October.
Montana-based wildlife biologist Michael Sawaya, who has conducted previous studies on the Bow Valley grizzly numbers, says the death of the four cubs is bad news -- but it remains to be seen whether the loss is a serious blow to the seemingly fragile population.
"What it means for the population, it's too soon to say at this point -- but certainly, it is a concern anytime you have a year with no known recruitment," said Sawaya.
michael.platt@sunmedia.ca
All four of Banff's grizzly cubs born in 2014 have been killed | Canada | News |
