“Take extra care for bears.”
It’s good advice any day of the year but should be near top-of-mind for Jasper residents returning home.
For many residents and visitors, bears are synonymous with the Jasper experience and are a welcome tone of home from a safe distance. Resident Kendra Neef Nace posted online Sunday morning that she was thrilled when a couple of “sneaky neighbourhood” black bears appeared near her place.
“One snuck up on me right outside of the apartment,” she wrote. “Hearing the familiar ‘watch out, there's a bear!’ from Parks Canada (personnel) was hilarious and the highlight of my day!”
Jasper National Park warned as the re-entry to the townsite began last Friday that the absence of humans since the evacuation July 23 has left a vacuum that hungry bears have been more than happy to fill. Another Jasper National Park post indicated they believe at least two mothers with cubs in tow are regularly on the prowl inside the town limits.
“Bears are becoming increasingly habituated and eating fruits from trees throughout town,” a social media post reads. “When you are able, remove fruit from trees. Once bears feed on fruit, they will repeatedly come back for more and keeping these bears out of town is not possible while fruit remains accessible as a food source.”
Waste is another major attractant and there’s no shortage of smelly spoils now that crews are working to replace fouled fridges and freezers.
Household waste should be placed in the bear-proof receptacles throughout town as residents have become accustomed to doing. “White goods” including freezers need special care: they are to be taped/sealed up and placed at the curb for recovery, but not until the town has been alerted and received a pick-up request (forms are available on the town’s website).
A family of bears, one of at least two patrolling the evacuated Jasper townsite for food.
Jasper National Park/Facebook Post
While the bear warning went out as residents began to return home Aug. 16, the bears wasted no time seizing on their opportunity. On July 28, Parks Canada noted that wildlife had already returned to fire-affected areas, including the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge’s golf course.
“In the face of flames, the extraordinary instincts of wildlife, like bears and elk, guide them to safety,” the post reads. “Grizzly bear 222, a frequent visitor in the area around Jasper Park Lodge, has a GPS collar tracking her movement. In the moments leading up to the most extreme wildfire activity on Wednesday July 24, 2024, Grizzly bear 222 and her two cubs tucked themselves into a wet spot by the Athabasca River.
“According to Parks Canada’s human wildlife specialists, she looks like a very healthy grizzly bear right now. She has been eating a mix of berries and clover on the edge of the Jasper Park Lodge golf course.”
