Glossary

Aversive conditioning: A structured program applying deterrents consistently and sustainably over an identified period of time to achieve modification of an animal's behaviour by pairing the undesired behaviour with pain or an unpleasant stimulus.

Bear jams: A traffic jam caused by people stopping their vehicles to view a bear.

Blue-listed species: (British Columbia) Species and subspecies that are considered sensitive or vulnerable and that could become eligible for the Red List (threatened or endangered) in the foreseeable future (e.g., Marbled Murrelet, Fisher, Grizzly Bear). The Blue List also includes species that are generally suspected to be vulnerable, but for which information is too limited to allow designation in another category.

Bluff charge: An interaction between a bear and a human where a bear charges toward the human, but stops short of the human or veers away before making physical contact. The bear’s behaviour is intended to intimidate, but not necessarily harm.

Boar: A male bear.

Backcountry: Those parts of the park not accessible by motor vehicle.

Home range: The area in which an individual animal normally lives.

Frontcountry: Those parts of the park accessible by motor vehicle.

Conditioned: Describes bear behaviour defined by one or more of the following: has sought and possibly obtained non-natural foods, destroyed property, displays aggressive (non-defensive) behaviour towards human, or becomes otherwise overly familiar with humans.

Hazing: an immediate response to a situation by the use of deterrents to move an animal out of an area or discourage an undesirable activity. Further application not implied.

Habitat: The place where an animal or plant naturally lives and finds its life requisites. For wildlife this includes food, cover to avoid detection, shelter from weather, and space in a suitable arrangement.

Habituated: Describes bear behaviour where a bear has become accustomed to frequenting developed areas, frontcountry or backcountry campgrounds, trails or roadsides, but has retained its natural foraging behaviour. Habituated bears have not become overly familiar with humans but are comfortable in the presence of humans.

Hard release: A bear behaviour modification technique. A bear that is persisting in a campground or townsite is captured. It is released from a culvert trap in the area where it would become a problem in a hail of shouting, cracker shells, bangers and rubber bullets. The intent is to have the bear associate the area with a negative experience that will guide it to avoid the area in the future.

Human-bear encounter: An encounter between a bear and a human. The encounter may range from a non-threat encounter where the bear does not threaten the human (i.e., an observation, the bear demonstrates curious behaviour, the bear stands up and sniffs the air, the bear sees a person and subsequently climbs a tree, or the bear is aware or unaware of the person and continues its pre-encounter routine or leaves the area) to a threat encounter where the bear growls, huffs, slaps the ground, pops its jaws, or shows other signs of aggressive intent.

May-be-at-Risk species (Alberta): A definition from the Status of Alberta’s Wildlife. Also referred to as a blue-listed species. Means current knowledge suggests that these species may be at risk. These species have undergone non-cyclical declines in population or habitat, or reductions in provincial distribution.

Radio telemetry: Radio telemetry involves radio signals being sent from a transmitter attached to a collar on an animal that are intercepted by a receiver with an antenna. Different radio frequencies are used for different individuals being tracked. This allows researchers to collect data on a collared bear’s movements.

Sow: A female bear.