Banff encouraging residents to remove fruit trees after dining grizzly bluff charges people

The Town of Banff is asking encouraging homeowners to remove their fruit trees to help protect the local bear population and prevent potentially dangerous wildlife encounters,

The Town of Banff is urging residents to remove their fruit trees after reports a grizzly dining on crab apples in residential yards began bluff charging people.

The town says the grizzly, Bear 122, (known by residents as "The Boss") was lured into the north end of Banff by an easy meal, despite "continuous" efforts by Parks Canada to "haze the bear away."

Parks Canada says with the property owner's permission, staff cut down the crab apple tree and collected all the fallen fruit.

In addition to the large, mature grizzly, there's a black bear that has been spotted feeding on berries in a mountain ash tree on hotel grounds northeast of town.

Parks Canada has also been working to haze that bear in an effort to keep it out of town.

"Bears smell the trees at this time of year as the fruit begins to ferment," officials explained in a news release. "Wildlife officers say it is unlikely these bears would discover these trees by chance, but rather they are attracted by the smell. Bears have an extremely powerful sense of smell, many times more effective than humans."

A recent bylaw change in Banff gives municipal enforcement officers the authority to order property owners to remove a fruit tree that has been proven to attract bears.

"We encourage all Banff homeowners to remove their fruit trees to help protect our local bear population and prevent potentially dangerous wildlife encounters," said Michael Hay, the town's manager of environment.

"Nobody in Banff who remembers the tragic loss of Bear 148 wants to see another bear relocated or euthanized due to easily avoidable human activity such as growing an apple tree in town.

Bear 148 was a large grizzly who frequently visited Banff and, due to close contact with people, had to be relocated 500 kilometres away.

The six-year-old female grizzly was shot and killed a short time later by a trophy hunter near McBride, B.C.  

Parks Canada has removed berry shrubs on the edges of town, but says many homeowners are unaware of the problem their fruit trees are causing.

"We have a program to pay for the full costs of removing fruit trees on private property and replacing with a non-fruit-bearing tree, so we can help people make responsible choices," Hay said.

Property owners interested in the free program are asked to email the town’s environment team at [e-mail] for information and support.