Bear alert for Trans-Canada Highway

By: Cathy Ellis: 
 

This black bear spent night in tree along Trans Canada Highway near Banff. Alex Taylor, Parks Canada Photo

A scared black bear has been up a tree in the middle of the Trans-Canada Highway east of Banff for well over 24 hours, prompting wildlife experts to warn motorists to drive carefully and obey all signs and speed limits.
A cinnamon-coloured black bear made its way onto the highway around 8 a.m. on Monday (June 16) near Carrot Creek, and when wildlife crews opened a gate to try to get it to safety, another black bear got onto the highway.
Parks Canada and RCMP temporarily shut down the highway to keep both bears safe. They managed to haze one of the bruins back to the other side of the wildlife fence, while the other scampered up a tree in the median between the east and westbound lanes.
Parks officials say the animal is stressed and there are no plans to tranquilize or handle the animal...Continue reading...