A grizzly bear who had been embraced by residents of Canmore and Banff following an unsuccessful relocation effort in the summer is dead after being legally shot in British Columbia last weekend.
“Our understanding right now is Bear 148, after she was relocated from the Bow Valley to the Kakwa Wildland Provincial Park, largely stayed still, sort of wandering around a fairly small area until very recently,” said Stephen Legault of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y). “Then she crossed the Continental Divide into British Columbia, went through the sister park, the Kakwa Provincial Park in B.C., and was shot legally by a hunter being guided in the Rockies.”
“The new B.C. government brought in a ban on trophy hunting of grizzly bears that takes effect as of November 30.”
The recent move to Kakwa Wildland Provincial Park was the latest attempt at relocating Bear 148. Earlier this year, the female bruin was relocated within the Bow Valley after she pursued hikers and dogs on Mount Norquay, interrupted a rugby practice in the Banff townsite and charged at a man pushing a stroller near Quarry Lake.
“This is a bear that people in Banff and Canmore felt that they had a very personal attachment to,” explained Legault. “After she was relocated the first time in July and she came back, there became a really community sense that this was our responsibility to take care of this animal, to look out for her, to make good decisions,”
“When she was relocated the second time, there was quite a visceral response from the community. My expectation is that learning that she is now dead will probably upset people greatly.”
Legault says he hopes Bear 148’s legacy prompts change in ‘the most developed landscape in North America where grizzlies still live’
“She was afforded every opportunity to stay alive,” said Legault. “The individuals with Alberta Environment and Parks and Parks Canada did an outstanding job trying to keep her in this ecosystem but, the fact is, decisions are going to need to be made about how much growth we can sustain in the Bow Valley and still say that this is a place where grizzly bears can coexist with us.”
“I think 148 provides us with our benchmark for the answer which is we’re now at that limit.”
Late Wednesday afternoon, Murray Langon, Alberta Environment and Parks' executive director, released the following statement regarding Bear 148:
“Our top priority is to keep Albertans safe and out of harm’s way.
Environment and Parks staff members worked hard to provide the best chance of this bear’s survival given its history.
Following several near-misses, Bear 148 was relocated from the Canmore area to a remote location in northwest Alberta near the Kakwa Wildland Provincial Park. This followed an earlier move to Banff National Park and several other unsuccessful mitigation efforts.
We will continue our work to prevent such conflicts from occurring – these actions will help reduce the need for relocation of bears.
Alberta BearSmart works to inform the public on steps they can take to keep themselves and bears safe while living, working and recreating in bear country.”
With files from CTV's Bill Macfarlane
