First bear awakes from winter slumber
Posted Mar 27, 2017 8:55 pm.
Last Updated Mar 27, 2017 8:56 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Parks Canada has reported its first bear is up and awake after a long winter of hibernation .
Bear 122 is no stranger to park officials, he’s believed to be 16 years old and is hailed as the largest, toughest and most dominant grizzly in the parks.
Wildlife Ecologist Seth Cherry says he’s been the first bruin spotted each spring for a few years now.
“For a male like this, it’s pretty much right on time, I think the last few years we’ve had observations a little bit earlier in March but this is pretty much exactly what we would expect for big male bears,” he said.
122 has made headlines for a few years now, most notably getting caught eating black bears.
Cherry says the males usually are seen first, followed by the females and then the females with young cubs.
He adds this is now the start of their season in Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks.
They’ll be looking for a snack and given the lack of vegetation, they’ll be looking for winter-killed animals.
Their asking visitors to ensure your food is secured and that you have your bear spray in hand.
