The Bears Are Waking Up – Beware The Selfie Tourist

I was listening to the radio the other day when it was reported that The Boss was awake and had been spotted. He is officially #122 but he is better known for his well earned moniker The Boss. Rumour has it he has sired a good number of grizzlies out there. He was hit by a train and survived, and has even eaten a black bear. He is big, bad, and scary. But pictures show a beautiful majestic creature. Photographer John Marriott even caught on camera pictures of an altercation with another bad guy, #136, or Split lip as he is called. Apparently split lip even ate another Grizzly which seems just messed up. But even that guy respects The Boss, because he knows what’s up. The problem is though, that the tourists don’t get it.

I drive through the mountains from Calgary to Invermere all year round as I spend time at my Cabin in BC. The biggest issue in the winter is the weather but also no cell phone range for about 100km. That is usually ok though because people are very quick to stop for motorists in need. I came upon an accident one winter where two young girls had hit the ditch after hitting an icy patch on the road. A few vehicles were stopped and helping the girls as their van was on its side. I ended up bringing them to my cabin for two nights as they arranged for their vehicle to be towed to town. An expensive end to their much anticipated snowboarding weekend with friends. Even the tow truck operator cut them a deal. Such are the people in the Valley. So even when disaster hits in the mountains, people are there to help. The mountain goats and deer love the roads in the winter. They lick the salt left by the sanding trucks and aren’t particularly keen to move. Sometimes you just have to slow up, drive around them, and flash your lights for the next few minutes to warn oncoming traffic. The biggest danger is someone driving too fast on their way to have fun. That is winter. But the summer… That’s where the dangers lie. That is when the camera wielding tourists are out in full force.

15 years ago I was renovating my cabin so I was driving back and forth quite often to keep on top of the work. The speed limit through the parks is much lower than other major highways. There is a need to protect wildlife that roams throughout the mountains. Barriers and fences are erected and there are so many signs that inform motorists of well know animal travel routes which intersect the highways. In the spring however, when the bears wake up, the Park Rangers really step up the safety factor. First off, as you pay for a park pass, you are given a pamphlet about bear safety. Read it. Trust me, you never know. There are also areas along the highway where stopping is prohibited and the speed limit is dropped even lower. This is for your protection but ultimately it is to keep the bear population safe. They are awake and they are hungry once spring hits. They have enormous areas of habitat where they roam and sometimes that brings them to the highways.

There is one curve I am always uncomfortable with when coming home from the cabin. It is down hill on a steep slop. There is one lane but the other side of the road has two lanes. One for faster traffic to pass. My lane has a three or four meter shoulder area which is lined with large cement barriers due to the drop off to the side of the road. I was coming around the corner in this lane when I came up along a car parked halfway onto the road. I slammed on the brakes and went over the line into the oncoming traffic passing lane. Luckily the only vehicle was in the regular lane. I was vaguely aware of a man and woman with two small children standing looking over the barrier. The side mirror showed they were watching a black bear forage about 2 meters away from where they were standing. Now it may seem to you that they were safe as their car was close. The problem is that bears are pretty fast even when they are well fed. Black bears can climb too. And if it is a Mama with some cubs close by, well you are a danger. All I could think of was how horrifying it would be if a family had to race back to their car. What was their a plan? Did they decide ahead of time which parent would save which child?

And bears aren’t even the biggest attraction. I came upon a small fender bender once where a whole line of cars had stopped to look at mountain goats. Again on curves. People sauntering across the road while other cars drove slowly by as they took pictures out the window. The speed limit is 90 kph. By the time I made my way past, the two drivers had pulled over and it was obvious how angry one man was. It is amazing what people stop to look at. I know it is well understood that the car from behind is the one at fault most times but what if the guy in front is a moron? Is that written in the insurance rules somewhere?

There are laws about removing things from Provincial and National Parks. You can’t. My father in law used to swipe plants everywhere he went. Cuttings of anything and everything. I am not like that. However, if a few rocks happen to have tumbled down a cliff and then were safely pushed into a ditch. You know, so a car doesn’t hit them. I think they are fair game. I was on the side of the highway, parked on a green area which is often loaded with fallen rocks. I had stopped to pick up a few of the larger boulders to place in my parking area. More as a reminder to stop rather than a deterrent as it is a five foot drop from the parking area into my front yard. Hitting the boulder is a good way to judge you may be a little too close to the edge. I heard a few squeals of laughter coming from around the bend in the rod and went to investigate. There was a group of young Asian tourists. When they caught sight of me they began to hold up their cameras and gesture wildly towards the group of mountain goats standing close by. Two of the braver/dumber men were creeping closer and closer and soon one reached out to try and touch the nearest beast. I say beast because although they don’t seem dangerous because they are on the small side, they are extremely dangerous. I shook my head, waved my arms and ran towards my truck. The reality is I was a good distance away from the animals but I wanted the young people to understand that they weren’t being safe. I backed my vehicle up around the corner to see what they were up to and the girls were diving for the vehicle while one young man was dodging the horns of the goat. The two men laughed as they played Canadian bullfight. I wished they could read the article of the man gored to death in the Washington. They can charge when feeling threatened. But I felt this too was nature as I put my truck in gear and drove away. I was sure they would be fine but the safety of the goats was also threatened. Something people don’t think about.

My cabin is in a small town in the mountains of BC. I often see deer cruising the streets while out walking. I stay away, crossing the street if they are close by. I have an apple tree that is a favourite for bears. We try to keep fallen fruit picked up but it is a never ending job. Last year there was a mama bear and two cubs eating what was on the ground. I am often startled as I walk in my yard and come across a bear of deer. I high tail it back indoors pretty fast. Last year as I watched from my second story balcony, I figured the bears would leave quickly as the apples were almost gone. But then junior, scampered up the tree trunk and proceeded to sake the apples loose sending a cascade of apples down to the ground for his sister and mama. No amount of noise or loud music can deter the beasts. Th3y may casually look up from a feast but for the most part they just continue to eat.

Sadly if wildlife become too comfortable with people they become more dangerous. Once they start to take over an area where there are human interaction it is only a matter of time until a clash develops. It always ends bad for the wildlife. People need to respect nature and all that lives in the great outdoors. Once we people ruin the habitat of a creature it is only a matter of time before the animals disappear. Protecting their homes is so important. Recognizing our own destructive behaviour is a big step towards developing more understanding relationships with the world around us. My home in the city is close to a river valley with lots of pathways and wooded areas. There are always signs warning of coyotes in the area. Now and again one makes its way into the neighbourhood and suddenly the rabbit population becomes much smaller. One day I came home to a bobcat laying on my patio furniture on the front deck. He was soaking up some sunshine and enjoying life. The two guys across the alley, along with the man two doors down banged some pots and pans and he sauntered away. I was able to get to my front door after a half hour of pot banging. While I wasn’t necessarily afraid of the cat I certainly respected his presence. As well as his right to be where he was. I chose to live close to his habitat. I walk through it daily. I can. share without getting tense.

I am going to be heading to my cabin in a week for a little stay away from the city. I know the selfie tourists will be out in small pockets here and there as the spring is so beautiful this year. When I come across them parked haphazardly on the road, throwing caution to the wind, I will do what I have always done. Slow down to save the idiots lives as they cross the highway, curse them loudly in the confines of my car, and lay on the horn non stop as I point to the no stopping signs that are everywhere. Once I am in cell phone range a quick call to the Park Rangers will have them out to the location quickly. They park close by to keep traffic slow, but also to keep people from stopping. In the many years I have driven these roads the one thing I have learned is that the park service is there to protect the park and the wildlife that lives there. If it comes down to you or a bear, trust me, they are there to save the bear. Be safe out there and please, stay in your car and keep driving as you yell to the kids in the backseat, “Look! A bear”.