7 June 2007
Bear Cubs Ride the Rails
An earlier episode of bear train riding - Date
unknown.
Field British Columbia - Three black bears hitched a ride
through Yoho National Park to Field, B.C., twice this week after climbing onto hopper cars of a stopped train to feast on spilled
grain.
The cubs, born this winter, clambered up onto a westbound train with the mamma bear almost two weeks ago. The train is believed to have
stopped at a siding near the Alberta-B.C. border.
Once the Canadian Pacific Railway train began moving again, the adult bear hopped off, but the cubs weren't quick enough and ended up
stuck on the train, travelling about 20 kilometres to Field.
Two of the opportunistic cubs hitched another ride to Field two days later, lured by the opportunity of a quick and easy grain snack.
Park officials fear the bears will develop a nasty taste for the spilled grain on the trains, leading to their eventual deaths as they
continue to hang around the Canadian Pacific Railway line.
"Absolutely, this is a concern that this might keep happening," said Hal Morrison, a human-wildlife conflict
specialist in Lake Louise, Yoho, and Kootenay.
"Those end platforms of the grain trains are still carrying lots of grain. If the grain does spill, it's supposed to be cleaned
up, but we haven't seen much results."
While on their first ride to Field on 26 May 2007, the stranded cubs were noticed by railway crews on an eastbound
passing train, who immediately contacted the wardens to notify them.
Once the train stopped in Field, the three frightened cubs were coaxed off the train into some pet carriers and reunited with the
mother bear within a few hours.
However, two of the three bear cubs hopped another train two days later, and it is believed they climbed aboard to once again feed on
spilled grain on the hopper car.
This time, two kids playing street hockey in Field heard the distressed bawling of the young cubs, which were chased off the train by
railway crews and climbed a tree for safety.
Morrison said it took wardens about three hours to capture the young bears.
"We kept the cubs overnight because we couldn't find the mom," he said. "We finally found the mom the next day and it
was a happy reunion."
Jim Pissot, executive director of Defenders of Wildlife Canada, said he cannot believe spilled grain is still available on the hopper
cars for the young bears to feast on.
He said the stopped train, where the bears scampered aboard, is a clear violation of CPR's own environmental strategy that says grain
trains will not be stored in the national parks.
"The animals are accessing the trains for grain, approaching trains and doing exactly what this family of bears has done, putting
them in a dangerous situation," said Pissot.
Grain spilled on the end of hopper cars during loading lured these bears onto the train tracks, but Parks and conservationists continue
to battle against grain trickling from leaky cars that attract animals to the line.
A black bear was killed on the train tracks near Baker Creek last Saturday (2 Jun 2007). Its stomach contents contained
grain.
This was the third black bear killed on the railway line in the mountain national parks this spring. All were believed to have been
eating grain around the time they were struck.
The railway giant has announced a five-year plan to fix some of the leaking hopper cars in its 20,000-car
fleet, but Pissot said there is still so much more that needs to be done to protect wildlife.
"While we congratulate CP for its commitment to repair the grain cars, this is not time for CP to rest on its laurels, but
escalate its conservation practices," he said.
"Parks Canada must get firm with the railway. This ongoing situation is absolutely inexcusable."
Mark Seland, a spokesman for CP, said it is the company's policy not to store grain trains in the national parks, but there are times
when they are stopped at a siding to let other trains pass because much of the line is single track through the mountains.
He said CP is also concerned that this family of bears does not become accustomed to getting grain from the trains.
"Crews have been notified to be on alert for that," said Seland. "We're also attempting to avoid any grain trains
staging in that area. We'll keep a very watchful eye on that."
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