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September 10, 2005: Orphan bear cubs killed by cars

B.C.

Orphan bear cubs killed by cars

Surviving cub to be housed at Calgary Zoo

Kerry Williamson

Calgary Herald

Friday, September 09, 2005

The deaths of two orphaned grizzly cubs, killed by cars on the Trans-Canada Highway, has pushed the number of bears killed in Banff National Park to five since June -- almost one-tenth of the grizzly population in the park.

The sole surviving cub of the two collisions near Banff late Wednesday night is being tracked for capture, destined for temporary quarantine at Calgary Zoo and an uncertain future.

"Six bears out of the park this summer -- that's 10 per cent of the population," said Tracey Henderson of the Canmore-based Grizzly Bear Alliance, adding she was "heartbroken" by the deaths.

"That's a mortality rate that is too high for the population to sustain itself long term.

"I hope the tragedy of these cubs . . . will make people realize a lot more needs to be done for these bears."

The two cubs -- one male, one female -- were hit by two vehicles on the Trans-Canada Highway, one kilometre west of the Mount Norquay exit near Banff. The third cub, a male, was not injured.

The cubs, less than a year old, were orphaned three weeks ago when their 10-year-old mother, Bear 66, was killed by a CP Rail train near Castle Junction. They had been closely monitored by Parks Canada staff, their chances of survival put at less than five per cent.

The surviving cub was captured and fitted with a transmitter just hours before the fatal collisions, to help wardens keep track of where the cubs were. Since the death of their mother, they had caused few problems, coming close to Banff only once.

It is thought the two cubs killed Wednesday night slipped under a fence beside the highway. The section of fence is older, and does not have an apron beneath the ground to prevent wildlife from travelling beneath it despite several years of lobbying to have it improved.

Motorists with cellphones alerted park wardens, and Mounties rushed to the site to slow traffic. However, they failed to prevent the cubs being hit.

"It's dark out, the cubs are small, the cubs are dark . . . it's very unfortunate, but both were killed," said Banff Field Unit Superintendent Jillian Roulet.

"We have spent a lot of time and a lot of energy in the last few years with Bear 66 and this year her cubs, so it is extremely disappointing to have this outcome."

The deaths of the two cubs has reignited debate over whether they should have been captured following the death of their mother. While bear refuges in both Vancouver and Kicking Horse, B.C., near Golden, B.C., had offered to take the cubs, Parks Canada opted to leave them in the wild.

Roulet defended the decision to leave the cubs alone, even after Wednesday night's deaths.

"We had talked to all sorts of grizzly bear experts in North America, and the conclusion was that the best way and about the only way for these bears to remain wild was to keep them in their home range," she said.

"We were monitoring where they were and making sure they didn't come into town. We had definitely done our homework . . . and done what both our staff and the experts felt were the right things to do."

The decision to capture the third cub was a simple one, however.

"Now, with one cub, less than a year old, without its siblings, we think the chances (of survival) are so low that we will capture that cub," she said.

Trish Exton-Parder, of the Calgary Zoo, said the facility would be able to take the surviving cub until a more permanent home is found. However, she said there is little demand worldwide for a grizzly cub.

The cub will not be put on public display.

"We are strictly a holding situation," said Exton-Parder. "We will call for other accredited institutions to see if anyone is looking for a cub for a zoo."

Jim Pissot, of Defenders of Wildlife Canada, said the cubs' deaths came as little surprise, given the difficulties they faced from both natural and human challengers in the Bow Valley, an area that has seen its grizzly population shrink three years running.

"One has to remember that these bears needed a miracle, but we were all hoping for a miracle," he said, adding the cubs' deaths were part of a bigger issue of grizzly management.

"These aren't simple issues, they are complex issues with lots of factors. And it's not a simple solution. It's a solution that involves every driver in Canada's parks, every hiker in Banff, every person that puts out a barbecue in a campground, right up to the prime minister in terms of the funds available for park management."

Pissot also defended the decision not to capture the three cubs. There are no documented cases of grizzly cubs being captured, then successfully released into the wild in North America.

"Parks' response was to monitor those cubs while investigating the options, and we fully supported that," he said. "That kind of removal and rehabilitation has a very, very low chance of success."

However, Pissot said environmental lobbyists had been pushing for an underground apron to be added to that section of fence for at least three years.

"Clearly someone has decided to do other things instead, and has decided not to implement that," he said. "And as a result, we've lost two more bears."

kwilliamson@theherald.canwest.com

© The Calgary Herald 2005

http://www.canada.com/calga...