Grizzly number 126, which was collared and tagged in Banff National Park this spring, doing what he does a lot- eat dandelions. The bear is also an incredible mountaineer and was tracked covering 22.5 kilometres and climbing to an elevation of 2838 metres well above the treeline in just five hours . He then kept on trekking covering more than 65 kilometres over the next 48 hours. Credit: Benjamin Dorsey
Parks Canada, CP rail, researchers part of five-year action plan to reduce human-wildlife conflict
The University of Alberta biologist and her graduate student Benjamin Dorsey take off their boots, roll up their pants and step barefoot onto an electrified mat straddling the Canadian Pacific Railway track. They jump right back off, yelping as a jolt runs up their legs.
“Just what we’re after – intense, fleeting pain,” says Cassady St. Clair.
A specialist in human-wildlife conflict, she is game to try almost anything to help animals co-exist with people — even if it entails a bit of short-term discomfort for the grizzlies in Canada’s premiere national park.
Wildlife conflicts don’t get much more dramatic, or intractable, than the one involving the iconic bears, an iconic company, and Canada’s most iconic park.
No comments:
Post a Comment