Banff Alberta - At least one grizzly bear cub has apparently been struck by a train on the railway tracks in Banff National Park, but it's not yet clear whether it was killed.
 
Around 21:40 Saturday wildlife officials received a report from Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) about an incident on the tracks around the Muleshoe area.
 
"They said they had struck a grizzly bear cub, one or possibly two," said David Gummer, a wildlife ecologist with Banff National Park.
 
"We've been out there investigating but we haven't found any physical evidence of a strike. It's in the unconfirmed category where we can't be certain about the fate of the bear."
 
Gummer said it's possible the bears weren't hit, but it's also possible at least one of the bears was killed and got carried off by the train or other animals, including the mother bear who was also spotted by the train crew.
 
CP said in a statement that they are working with Parks Canada to investigate the reported bear strike.
 
If any of the bears have died, it would be the first grizzly bear killed on the railway in Banff National Park since the fall of 2012 when two yearling cubs of grizzly number 130 were killed in the same general area.
 
Gummer said there's a strong possibility that it's number 130's offspring again because she's the only bear that they knew had cubs in the area.
 
"She keeps a low profile and isn't collared, but was previously a study animal," he said.
 
Since the fall of 2010, Parks Canada has been working with CP on a joint action plan to find solutions to the deaths along the railway tracks after concerns were raised that animals were eating spilled grain.
 
It included fitting about a dozen grizzly bears each year with GPS collars to track their movements and learn how they use the railway lines and other areas in the park.
 
Gummer said they no longer have the benefit of number 130's tracking collar, but they will continue to keep watch in the area for her or any scavengers that appear to be feeding on a carcass.
 
"It's possible there might be some remains farther away," he said, noting they would like to determine what happened to the bears.
 
He added that wildlife officials are also looking forward to hearing more about the research project.
 
"There might be some helpful solutions to try to reduce the risk of these sorts of occurrences," said Gummer.
 
Researchers are looking at everything from grain and vegetation along the tracks to design and infrastructure of the railway lines.
 
The results were scheduled be shared widely at the end of November, although it's now expected to be delayed until later this winter.
 
Colette Derworizr.