Berry season in Banff prompts Parks Canada advisory as bears roam and forage for food

It's berry season in Banff, and Parks Canada is advising visitors to the national park to be on the lookout for bears searching for food and feeding in the bushes.

For the rest of summer and into the fall, bears will be trying to acquire the caloric intake needed to hibernate over the winter, Parks Canada's Dan Rafla told CBC News.

They are in a race against the first frost or snow of the season, and can become hyper-focused on feeding.

• WATCH | Bears feast onberries to fatten up for winter hibernation

Parks Canada warns hikers as bears travel further to find berries

3 years ago

Duration 1:30

Buffalo berry crop battered by heat and drought may push bears to limits in search of food.

"If they find a really good area with lots of berries, they'll persist in that area," Rafla said.

"That's really what's going to help them survive the winter. I mean, there's no food, beyond that, until next spring."

And with a shortage of buffalo berriesin the park this year which Rafla said arenormally"the main berry for this part of the world"it is likely that bears will be roaming around as they forage for food.

"This year isn't nearly as good [for berries] as last year," Rafla said. "So they're going to have to travel more."

How to stay safe

To stay safe in the mountains at this time of year, Rafla recommends being vigilant.

Keep an eye out for fresh bear scat, and don't go for a hike or a run with your headphones on, so that you remain aware of your surroundings.

Travel in groups to increase your safety, and don't be afraid to make a bit of noise.

Rafla recommends keeping pets at home, but if you are going to go hiking in the park with your dog, keep it on a leash.

"The thing we want to avoid issurprising bears," Rafla said.

"If you make noise, that bear that's around the corner will hear you, and it will likely move off the trail."

Carrying bear spray is important, and if you do see a bear, remain calm,stay within your groupand back away slowly without running.

"It's not purely about our own safety, and being aware," Rafla said.

"It's also respecting the needs of that animal that we want to have on this landscape and their needs. That, you know, the more they're disturbed, the less they're feeding."