Rural community fearful of bears

ELKTON VALLEY — Fear, curiosity and above all a strong desire to gain more information about bears highlighted a community meeting Friday.

More than 300 people from areas including Olds, Sundre, Cremona and Didsbury heard officials from Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers and Alberta Sustainable Resource Development discuss events of the past 10 days which saw the mauling death of a Didsbury hunter and the shooting Thursday of the grizzly sow responsible for his death.

The body of Robert Wagner, 48, was found Oct. 1 less than a kilometre from his parked truck just off of Hwy 22 near acreages and farms.

“Wildlife officers shot the grizzly Thursday and are trying to trap the dead bear’s three cubs, which are believed to be more than a year old and dangerous.

DNA evidence tested late Thursday confirmed the dead bear was responsible for Wagner’s death.

Mountain View County Councillor Kathy Blain, who helped organize the meeting at her campground, said people were looking over their shoulder.

“There’s fear in the community because this is a busy time for farmers bringing in livestock, fencing and harvesting,” she said.

Stashko said notifying everyone in the area about the danger following Wagner’s death was difficult because officers were heavily involved in hunting the bears.

Jim Mitchell, a Fish and Wildlife officer in the area, said there are two officers to manage a 5,000-square mile area.

The audience heard there are about 45 grizzlies between Hwy 11 and Hwy 1.

However, there could be more because the number is based on DNA collection methods.

People were told if they sight a bear to let fish and wildlife officers know.

A vast majority of the audience raised their hands when asked if they thought the bear population was rising in the area. No one raised a hand opposing that notion.

People heard that if the cubs are captured they will be moved to an area far away from any humans.

The audience also heard that two cubs captured last year in a similar incident in which a Calgary hunter was killed by a grizzly sow in a more isolated area about 60 km west of Sundre, were released into the wilderness.

Both were fitted with tracking devices and were last located in May but haven’t been detected since.

Stashko said people can kill a grizzly if their life is threatened. Otherwise the province can prosecute offenders under the Fish and Wildlife Act.

At present there is a hunting ban on grizzlies which will be reviewed next summer more accurate figures are gathered about the grizzly population.

Contact Jack Wilson at jwilson@reddeeradvocate.com