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magazine / jf97
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January/February 1997 issue |
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FEATURE
Homeless on the range (page 2)
THE GRIZZLY PROJECT was conceived in 1993 at a Calgary meeting of four bear
experts: Steve Herrero of the Faculty of Environmental Design at the University
of Calgary; Mike Gibeau, then a warden with Parks Canada; John Kansas, a biologist
and consultant; and Dave Poll, a biologist with Parks Canada. They shared
concerns about the fragmentation of habitat in Banff park, and a sense of
general decline in bear numbers. Grizzly bears, which are sensitive to human
incursions, are an indicator species. When they are in trouble, the entire
ecosystem is usually out of balance. The grizzly population of Banff park,
which Gibeau and Herrero have estimated at between 60 and 80, is not scientifically
known; some major research on bear population and habitat was clearly overdue.
Two key players were already in sight: Parks Canada had recognized the need
for extensive grizzly research, and provincial officials wanted to do a habitat
study.
The grizzly project was soon joined by some 22 other sponsors, ranging from
Husky Oil to the Alberta Cattle Commission. All the players sit on a steering
committee. With an estimated budget of $1.5 million to completion, the study
is now at the midpoint of its five-year mandate.
THE NAMING AND TAMING OF BEAR 16
Until last summer, grizzly bear Number 16 was a familiar sight to residents
and tourists in the Bow Valley. But Number 16 became a victim of what biologist
Mike Gibeau calls "death by a thousand cuts": the cumulative effect
of human activities on bear habitat in Banff National Park.
In 1993, Number 16 was a subadult, feeding on berries along the Trans-Canada
Highway. In summer, a car moves down that highway every six seconds, some
20,000 per day. Tourists stopped to photograph him, and it wasn’t long before
he lost his wariness and became used to their presence. Wardens moved the
people back, but more stepped in as soon as they left. Wardens even tried "adversive
conditioning" to make the bear wary of humans again — rubber batons
fired from a "thumper gun" in this case. "But due to lack of
manpower, the conditioning wasn’t consistent enough," Gibeau explains.
Everywhere the young bear turned, he ran into human incursions — roads,
campgrounds, ski hills and towns. He became more and more comfortable around
humans — and therefore more dangerous. There were major grain spills
on the Canadian Pacific Railway right-of-way in 1993 and 1994; by 1995, Number
16 was conditioned to seek the high-calorie grain along the tracks. Last summer,
16 shambled through the streets of Field, B.C. He trampled down a tent at
nearby Lake Louise, terrifying its young occupant, and stuck his big head
into the bakery at the new shopping mall. Wardens trapped and radio-collared
him and moved him into a remote section of his own home range, but he worked
his way back to the Bow Valley in only three days. By late June, Gibeau, who
is a former park warden, knew that the prognosis for this bear was bleak.
Feeding bears has long been illegal in national parks and tourists don’t
feed them as often as they did 20 years ago. But, as Gibeau explains, "Tourists
will push and push, until they scare him and it was just a matter of time
before he charged out and made contact with somebody." That "contact" by
tooth or claw could mean a human fatality, and in the crisis caused by that,
other bears might be mistakenly killed. Because of this threat, Gibeau recommended
that 16 be destroyed.
After consulting with biologists, Chief Park Warden Bob Haney decided that
16 would have to go. But the decision to get rid of him last summer was protested
by environmental activists who had often seen the bear in the valley. Haney
says there was no remote range available where 16 could be moved without causing
trouble to another jurisdiction. He acknowledged that liability is still a
factor in deciding what to do with habituated bears. Another, in these days
of budget cuts, is finding money and manpower to deal with habituated wildlife
effectively. But in the end the Calgary Zoo, Botanical Garden and Prehistoric
Park could take the bear, and Haney reasoned that if 16 could benefit another
conservation organization, then why not donate him and let him live? Now known
as Skoki, he will finish his life as a well-fed and vasectomized exhibit at
the zoo in the company of two resident females.
— S. M.
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The project, 24 persons strong, is headed by Herrero and co-ordinated by
Gibeau and Kansas. It has two major research probes underway. Kansas is focussing
on mapping grizzly bear habitat across provincial-federal boundaries. This "big
picture" approach is vital because national parks are not big enough
to sustain grizzly bears on their own. A male requires up to 2,000 square
kilometres to survive; females may get by on 200 to 500 square kilometres.
A grizzly may roam through several different jurisdictions in a year’s time.
But provincial lands, where bear hunting, logging, cattle grazing and resource
extraction take place, have very different mandates than federal parks, which
are wildlife preserves. The study will allow provincial and federal wildlife
managers to talk the same geographical language when looking at habitat. Co-operation
between jurisdictions (almost non-existent 20 years ago) is crucial for bear
conservation.
Gibeau heads the second probe, examining the effects of development and
land use on bear behaviour and survival. He must suggest modifications in
human use of the area that affects bears and "... suggest alternatives
that would harmonize development with habitat needs" — a daunting
task considering the present state of development.
Forty grizzlies have been radio-collared since 1994 as part of the project.
Mamo has led the capture of half of them; the bears are tranquillized, weighed
and measured, a DNA sample obtained, and a premolar tooth extracted to use
in aging the animal. The DNA samples will serve to genetically "fingerprint" individuals,
and provide clues to the genetic health of the breeding population. Teams
of field workers, aided by federal park wardens or by provincial rangers and
wildlife officers, work around the clock as needed to monitor bears when they
approach built-up areas.
BANFF NATIONAL PARK is a dangerous place to live, if you are a grizzly bear.
Researchers have learned that of the 73 grizzlies known to have died in the
park from 1971 to 1995, 52 were either destroyed or removed in the interests
of public safety. Ninety percent of the grizzlies died close to developed
areas, and 56 percent of those lost were females, since females with curious
cubs are the most likely to run into trouble with people. But the story is
much the same in other parks with built-up expanses, such as Waterton Lakes
or Yellowstone in the United States. British Columbia and Alberta grizzly
bears are blue-listed — "considered at risk" — but there
are still limited hunting seasons on them.
Although bear mortalities have declined overall since 1981, thanks to a
superior garbage management system, Gibeau points out that the species is
slow to recover because the mortality rate among females continues to be high.
Females do not start breeding until they are between four and eight years
old, and average 0.5 cubs per year after that. In addition, the project’s
genetic research suggests the Eastern Slopes bears could become genetically
inbred and isolated from other sub-populations to the south. Researchers point
out that grizzly bears do not like crossing highways. In fact, females will
not cross the divided highway at all, nor will they use wildlife crossings,
or underpasses, provided by Parks Canada for big game animals.
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