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Bear Cub Death Prompts Driving Warning From Jasper National Park

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By Jennifer Bain - January 21st, 2022
A bear cub is shown in Jasper National Park.

A bear cub is shown in an undated stock photo at Jasper National Park/Parks Canada

Jasper National Park is flagging the summer road death of a black bear cub to warn people about why they must drive carefully.

Parks Canada learned that a black bear cub had had been run over and killed on Maligne Lake Road last July. “A quick-thinking witness captured the unfortunate incident on video,” park officials reported this week. “The video shows one vehicle passing another on a double-solid line, on a curve, with limited visibility. The passing vehicle hit the cub as the cub crossed the road with two other bears. Further investigation found that the driver had published a photo of the bears on social media. The photo had been taken from the driver’s seat of the moving vehicle.”

The driver was identified, charged with careless driving and fined $2,000.

There are more than 2.5 million visitors on park roads every year. Wildlife traffic jams in the park have increased by 92 per cent in the past decade, while unsafe wildlife encounters have more than doubled. Both animals and people can be injured or killed.

The park says people should drive with “the care and attention one would expect in a school zone.” It uses signage, reduced speed zones in areas known to be wildlife crossings, and a range of information in publications, on its website, and in social media to remind travellers how to view wildlife safely.

The Wildlife Guardians drive a distinctive marked van in Jasper National Park.

The Wildlife Guardians drive a distinctive marked van in Jasper National Park/Parks Canada

Jasper’s Wildlife Guardians patrol roadways in two marked vans to support safe wildlife viewing. The park says:

• When you see wild animals while driving, stay in your vehicle.
• Slow down and obey speed limits.
• Use hazard lights to alert others.
• Pull over only where it is safe to do so.
• Observe, take photographs and move on.
• Don’t stop in driving lanes (it’s illegal).
• Don’t feed wildlife (also illegal).
• Move on immediately if a traffic jam develops.
• Report any collisions with wildlife and know that drivers who’ve obeyed traffic safety laws and have “an accidental wildlife strike” won’t be charged.

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