March 28, 2024

Encounters in the Wild

By Jacqueline Louie

For visitors to Canmore and the Bow Valley, spotting a wild animal, like a bear, can be a thrilling highlight of a wilderness experience.

To safely enjoy the wilderness, a little awareness and education — and a lot of respect — can go a long way.

That’s what Reno Sommerhalder believes.

“Respect is a big word that goes along with the privilege of being able to recreate in places like Banff and Canmore,” says Sommerhalder, a Banff-based bear specialist and wilderness/bear watching guide who educates people about bears in North America, Europe and Russia.

If you feel a bit nervous about encountering a bear when you’re out in the woods, “Try to enter the forest on a neutral basis, and realize that animals are simply trying make a living in the natural landscape. Try to overcome that fear of bears, and realize that bears are to a large degree incredibly peaceful animals,” Sommerhalder says. “They have no interest in conflict with people — in fact, they go out of their way to avoid conflict with humans.”

According to Sommerhalder, when it comes to bears, the No. 1 thing is prevention. “Bears do have the potential of being dangerous, because of their defense mechanism.

“Making noise to let bears know you are in the area is the best way to have a safe and enjoyable experience. And that doesn’t mean you need to scream and holler from the beginning to the end of your hike or carry a boom box with you.”

Using your voice is the best way to let bears, and other animals, know you are nearby. You can vary your voice depending on the environment you’re in. On a trail next to a noisy creek, for example, you will want be a little louder. Every once in a while, holler out, to make any animals who might be nearby aware of your presence, to help avoid a surprise close-range encounter. “If you do that, it will cut, by 90 per cent or more, the already very small risk of an incident,” Sommerhalder says.

He also recommends that dog owners leave their dog at home. “Because, just like people, dogs have a huge impact on the environment … The place of a dog is next to a human on a leash, not 100 metres into the forest chasing wildlife. If a dog chases a bear, at some point the bear will turn the game around.

“Because of several months of hibernation during which they don’t eat, bears need to be efficient during their waking hours in order to survive. Any kind of stress is just not ideal, especially in a world like today, where our natural areas are crisscrossed with all sorts of human impacts. It makes life harder for bears than it already is.

In the rare event of a fatal bear encounter, the presence of a dog could be a contributing factor, according to a large body of international research.

A changing climate could also be a factor, leading to bears that are more food-stressed than normal and undernourished, Sommerhalder adds. Last summer, for example, it was a very poor food year for bears as a result of extended periods of drought, which impacted berry production. In the mountains, bears live in an environment that is already marginal in terms of food availability “and climate change is not going to improve the situation.”

“If you actually see a bear, you should consider yourselves lucky. Realize the privilege it is in this day and age to be able to enjoy a more or less intact ecosystem … Out of that, there should be coming a huge amount of respect for the things you are viewing. Go into the wilderness with as much knowledge as you can garner, with respect. That helps with prevention. Give (bears) the chance they deserve. And don’t forget the bear spray.”

https://en.renosommerhalder.org/

Be Bear Aware:

https://www.facebook.com/wildsmart/

https://www.biosphereinstitute.org/wildsmart

https://www.albertaparks.ca/parks/kananaskis/kananaskis-country/advisories-public-safety/wildlife/be-bear-smart/