Originally Posted November 2010
*Update: I recently learned the sad truth about why this grizzly was on the railway tracks. The reason is grain. Railway cars leak grain. The containers are poorly designed and often loose their entire load of grain by the time they reach the coast. The cost of this leakage is death for the bears. A significant number of bears in BC and Alberta loose their lives to trains. The only reason is that they migrate towards the tracks to eat the spilled grain. Don’t you think it is time we designed better grain cars? Is a grizzlies’ life worth nothing to our government? As many train tracks are close to the highway, this also increases the risk of the bears being killed by road vehicles as well. In addition (as in the following case) they provide easy access to hunters when they scavenge for grain so close to open regions populated by humans.
*Update: I recently learned the sad truth about why this grizzly was on the railway tracks. The reason is grain. Railway cars leak grain. The containers are poorly designed and often loose their entire load of grain by the time they reach the coast. The cost of this leakage is death for the bears. A significant number of bears in BC and Alberta loose their lives to trains. The only reason is that they migrate towards the tracks to eat the spilled grain. Don’t you think it is time we designed better grain cars? Is a grizzlies’ life worth nothing to our government? As many train tracks are close to the highway, this also increases the risk of the bears being killed by road vehicles as well. In addition (as in the following case) they provide easy access to hunters when they scavenge for grain so close to open regions populated by humans.
I took these photos of this magnificent grizzly bear yesterday (November 14). The bear was at the side of the #1 highway between Lake Louise, Alberta and Field, British Columbia. I have never seen a more beautiful, big and healthy wild grizzly before. It was a dream come true.
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