Black Bear Brown Cub

These pictures were taken just outside of Banff on the old highway, Bow Valley Parkway 1A, between Banff and Lake Louise.  It is interesting as the two cubs were brown, and the mother a Black Bear.  Just to confuse things, a Black Bear, can actually be brown.  In Canada we call the Brown Bear a Grizzly bear.  There are only 3 types of Bear in Canada: Black Bear, Grizzly Bear and Polar Bear.  You will only see the Black and Grizzly in the Canadian Rockies.  A Grizzly can be identified by several features including distinct shoulder hump. This hump is due to large muscles necessary for digging roots, tubers and ground squirrels.

For photographs of bears and other animals in the Western Canada, visit the summer photo gallery.

Please remember to keep at least 100 metres away from a bear if you see one, even if you are in a car.  Use a telephoto lens if you want to take a picture and give the bear plenty of space.  What sadly happens, know as a "bear jam" to locals, is that cars and RVs hold up the traffic to see the bear and the bear gets familiar with humans being close. Familiarisation is not good as we want them to stay wild! As soon as a bear is familiar with humans, it is much more likely to run into problems. A fed bear is a dead bear and it is a serious offence to feed any wildlife in a National or Provincial Park.

If you see a bear, cougar or wolf near Banff, please call the Warden's office immediately on 403-762-4506

Santa Claus is coming to Banff and Canmore!

Where to catch him:

1) "Light up Canmore" on FRI Nov 23 2007 (tonight) from 6-8pm at the Civic Centre Plaza. There will be hayrides, hot dogs and hot chocolate to celebrate this annual event in Canmore.

2) "Parade of Lights" in Banff on SAT Nov 24 2007 at 7pm. Please note that Calgary has cancelled it's parade due to construction this year, so the turn-out in Banff is likely to be high.

The "Parade of Lights" in Banff will be preceded by "Christmas in the Rockies" which includes an afternoon of activities including Ginger Bread decorating!

3) Photo opportunities with Santa are from 2 to 6pm on SAT Nov 24 2007 in Banff. Just follow the reindeer tracks or the trail of cookie crumbs to find him!

Good luck with finding him and remember to be good!