Grizzly bears are beginning to move to lower elevations in search of food as colder weather approaches, and Parks Canada officials are warning the public to be extra cautious when out on the trails.

In search of high protein meals, both grizzly and black bears are looking for the most opportunistic meal, and carcasses of other animals, elk in particular, are ideal.

“What I anticipate is going to be happening is as the cooler weather challenges some of the upper elevations, they should be moving down to the valley bottom, and they are going to be fairly assertive in trying to establish some good food sources, and one of them is obviously the elk carcasses of any of the rutted animals that are a little weak in condition,” says Steve Malcolm, wildlife conflict officer with Jasper National Park.

If someone comes across a carcass they will know pretty quickly if a grizzly is on it, Malcolm says, because they aggressively defend their carcasses.

This makes it more important to keep dogs on a leash, as a dog will easily catch the scent of a carcass and run off, bringing back an aggressive grizzly and a defensive charge.

Anyone who smells a carcass or finds something suspicious are asked to avoid the area completely and call the park dispatch at 780-852-6155. If possible, Malcolm says they will close off the area if a grizzly is on a carcass because sometimes that one carcass is enough to pull them through the winter, or put stress on them if they don’t get it, possibly resulting in not surviving winter.

“Those carcass rewards are huge advantages for these animals, so we try to not constantly disrupt them,” he says. If necessary, they will take the carcass away to the transfer station.

Traditionally at this time of year the bears hang out along the periphery of the town, but sometimes they will come in at night in search for food, where is it important that residents and visitors properly put away their garbage and close grease bins. 

“That is our concern, try not to ever provide them a reward in any areas that we don’t want,” says Malcolm. “So if they get into someone’s garbage that they’ve left, then that bear will be back and he’ll start targeting those areas because now he’s got reward. We’ve basically conditioned him, and that’s what we’re trying to avoid is human conditioning. Food conditioning would be the worst.” 

Black bears are more likely to come into town than grizzlies, but it’s not unheard of for a grizzly to wander in, and in areas on the edges such as the golf course, Lake Edith and Lake Annette, the cottage subdivisions and the railway tracks are all places where grizzlies frequent and important places to bear-proof garbage, food and grease.