Spring Into Wildlife: BCW Hosts Alberta Parks
Last week saw the second in our ongoing series of seasonal presentations from Alberta Parks: This time Park Recreation & Resource Officer, Kananaskis Region Patrick Waring brought us some tips for Spring, and we’d like to share them.
Spring for local wildlife can be a stressful time. No-one likes extra stress, and we don’t want to add to it. We can help
by giving wildlife space, and the best chance to succeed in what they need to do in spring time.
Babies
Spring is a time for new beginnings. Fawns are born around the last week of May/first week of June, and need to be left alone. If you see a fawn alone in the long grass it has usually been left there by its mother. She is nearby. We can just move on and leave them to it!
Slowing down on the roads, looking in the ditches as we drive will also help keep them safe.
Food
After a tough winter, many of the wild animals who are our neighbours are hungry and looking for food sources. This is an important time to make sure we remove all attractants so that we don’t tempt unwanted curious visitors sniffing out our compost, garbage, barbecues or bird-feeders.
Pets
Much though we love them, pets can also be a source of stress to wildlife, resulting in danger to both sides. They can be both predator and prey.
Domestic pets aren’t a natural part of the local ecosystem, and can upset natural cycles. Domestic cats kill 110 to 350 million birds in Canada per year, and 3 billion more in the USA. Song birds are on the decline, and this doesn’t help. They also kill mice, bats etc., which are natural local pollinators. Dogs that aren’t controlled often chase or harass – and sometimes kill – wildlife.
Cats and dogs can be killed by wildlife – they may be easy prey to coyotes, foxes and cougars. Dogs can also bring wildlife back to you – a dog running back to you as you hike can be chased by a startled bear, or a mother bear protecting her newborns.
Here are some things we can do:
- Always carry bear spray – it teaches bears that approaching humans is a bad idea
- Remove all attractants
- Slow down on roadways
- Keep pets restrained: dogs on a leash/cats indoors
- Pass on the message: remind family and friends not to be complacent – you don’t have to be hiking on remoter trails to encounter wildlife in our community. Stay safe and reduce stress all round!
Let’s be good stewards of the land we live on.
Patrick praised the people of Bragg Creek and Redwood Meadows and recommended the Bragg Creek Wild website as an awesome resource for responsible behaviour, best practices and resources.
Please use the website below to check for advisories and closures before heading out into Kananaskis:
www.albertaparks.ca/parks/kananaskis/kanaskis-country/advisories-public-safety
It’s also a good idea to keep these numbers handy:
Kananaskis Emergency Services
403-591-7755
Cochrane Fish & Wildlife
403-932-2388
