Wildlife Viewing
The chance to observe wild animals as they go about their natural lives is one of the most fascinating experiences that our mountain national parks have to offer.
Along with this opportunity, however comes the responsibility to treat wild animals with the respect they deserve, and need to survive.
Staying ALIVE...
It's not easy to "make a living" here in the mountains. Wildlife must devote all available energy to simple survival: feeding, resting, staying warm or cool enough, avoiding natural dangers, and producing healthy offspring.
Every time we disrupt these natural activities we are, in effect, taking energy away from their survival "bank account." With millions of people visiting our mountain parks every year, these "withdrawals" can quickly add up to "dead broke."
Staying WILD...
Is there a difference between a wild bear and one in a zoo? We can only guess at what the bear might think. But from our perspective, isn't the very thing that makes wild animals so attractive to us the fact that they are indeed wild?
Unfortunately, when animals become used to being around people, they are in danger of losing that very thing that makes them special, their wildness.
How can we keep park wildlife WILD and ALIVE?
Parks Canada staff are trying to teach some bears to avoid busy areas bu using noise-makers, flares, rubber bullets and even specially trained bear dogs. We call this
aversive conditioning .
You may also see crews and signs along park roadways asking for your help in preventing animal jams, dangerous traffic jams around roadside wildlife. Please do your part every action counts!