The condition of grizzly bear and woodland caribou populations Banff National Park rated as "poor"

Woodland caribou population is down to ten or less and grizzlies only 60 in Banff in 80 in the Kananaskis country to its south.

Grim for grizzlies. Gloom and doom’ for Banff’s ursine residents, says park report. Cathy Ellis, Calgary Herald.

By contrast both Glacier NP and Yellowstone NP each have over 200 grizzlies with about 300 more nearby outside these national parks.

opalrange2.jpg
The Opal mountain range in the Kananaskis country. Grizzlies struggle here and northward in Banff. Photo copyright Ralph Maughan


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Comments

  1. be Avatar

    that sure is a good photo…

  2. d. Bailey Hill Avatar

    Instead of delisting the grizzles here, they could have been sedated and relocated in Banff. But I doubt the officials here could get past all the “red tape” that they would create to complicate the issue.
    If the army can relocate an elephant by donating their services, {plane ride}, you would think they could do the same for a North American species.

  3. Howard Avatar
    Howard

    Wow… fewer than 10 woodland caribou! Does anyone know of a stable woodland caribou population in North America? They’re completely extirpated from New England and the Upper Midwest, reduced to a pitiful remnant in the Selkirks (that, due to continued habitat loss, climate change, and the genetic entropy that will result from a tiny, isolated population probably puts that population well on the road to oblivion), and fairing very poorly in much of Canada. Are there any healthy populations of woodland caribou in northeastern Canada?

Author

Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan’s Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of “Hiking Idaho.” He also wrote “Beyond the Tetons” and “Backpacking Wyoming’s Teton and Washakie Wilderness.” He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.

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