Grizzly and black bear warnings issued after bold behaviour in Banff National Park

Banff National Park has issued warnings for Bourgeau Lake Trail and nearbyHarvey Pass, as well as at a campground near the townsite, after reports of grizzly and black bears in the area.

Parks Canada says anumber of bears have been seen around the area of theBourgeauLake Trail and Harvey Pass, including agrizzly that was exhibiting bold behaviour on Sunday.

"We had a group that encountered a large grizzly bear atthe top of ... Harvey Pass. Two people encountered the bear and they headed back down the trail," said Bill Hunt a resource conservation officer with Parks Canada.

"The bear followed along at a distance and actually stayed with them for about a kilometre as they gathered up other hikers."

He says the group of nine hikers eventually used a bear banger and the bear moved away.

On Monday another group of hikers saw the grizzly at the bottom of the trail head.

Bourgeau Lake is the closest subalpine lake to the town of Banff, with atrailhead on the Trans-Canada Highway about 13 km west of the Mount Norquay Interchange.

Two black bears looking for food have been seen inthe Two Jack main campground, which ison the Lake Minnewanka loop road about 12 kilometresfrom the Banff townsite.

"In one case the bear was on top of one of the bear-proof bins snooping around. So, whether he had access to garbage there before, or just the odours coming from the can had piqued his curiosity," Huntsaid.

The second black bear was seen at the end of the weekend, sniffing around firepits at empty campsites.

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The warnings were issued late Monday night.Parks Canada advises people in the area to:

• Never approach, entice or feed wildlife.
• Ensure all food, garbage and pet food are stored inside a building or vehicle.
• Supervise children and keep pets on leashes at all times
• Always keep a safe distance from bears.
• Carry bear spray and know how to use it.

Parksasks anyone who sees a bear to report it toBanff Dispatch at403-762-1470.

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