Mounties issue 80 tickets in B.C. national park after crashes kill 3 bears in 6 days
Multiple crashes involving bears in a B.C. national park earlier this month prompted a crackdown on drivers in the area, according to the B.C. Highway Patrol and Parks Canada.
In a news release Thursday, the BCHP said the federal parks agency contacted it in early June "after a number of collisions with bears on Highway 1 east of Field B.C." in Yoho National Park.
A spokesperson for Parks Canada told CTV News by email that three bears were struck and killed in the same stretch of highway over a six-day span from June 7 to 13.
The first collision happened during the early morning hours of June 7 near the Lake O'Hara parking lot, according to Parks Canada. The bear – a young female grizzly – was believed to be about five years old and was the sibling of Yoho National Park's well-known white grizzly.
After the initial crash, Parks Canada implemented a speed limit reduction to 70 kilometres per hour between West Louise Lodge and the bottom of Field Hill. The agency also established a no-stopping zone and stepped up enforcement in the area.
The second collision happened on June 11, killing an adult male grizzly that had been trying to breed with the female bear killed earlier that week.
The second crash led officials to reduce the speed limit to 50 km/h, according to Parks Canada.
On June 13, the third collision killed an adult male black bear.
As a result of the string of crashes, according to the BCHP release, officers from both agencies began an "enforcement and education campaign."
"The section of highway is popular with both black bears and grizzly bears at this time of year due to an abundance of high-value food sources found along the road," police said in their release.
"Unfortunately, this puts the bears at risk of contact with motor vehicles and often results in injury or death to the bears."
During the week of June 13, BCHP officers and Parks Canada wardens issued 80 speeding tickets and impounded four vehicles. They also ticketed one person for flying a drone in a national park.
"Parks Canada stresses the importance of observing the reduced speed limits, and to drive with caution in the early morning and evening hours," the agency said. "Do not stop if you see wildlife on the roadside, particularly along the Trans-Canada Highway. Please report all wildlife sightings on the roads or any wildlife incidents to Parks Canada dispatch at 403-762-1470."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.