The deaths of two bear cubs of a well-known rare white grizzly — known as Bear 178, but nicknamed Nakoda by locals — in Yoho National Park this week has reignited calls for increased awareness and highway safety for those visiting the mountains.
The cubs were struck and killed along the Trans-Canada Highway.
Parks Canada says it received a call about the incident at around 5:15 a.m. on Thursday and staff found the cubs dead when they arrived at the location.
“Wildlife management staff had been monitoring the bears’ movements along the road on June 5, after reports of a fence intrusion,” James Eastham, a communications officer with the agency, said in a written statement.
A day after her cubs were killed, Nakoda was also hit by a car and injured near a turnoff in Yoho National Park. Parks Canada said staff witnessed the collision and have been monitoring Bear 178 since then.
Trains don’t travel the rails as frequently and the rails are also a shorter distance to have to cross. Places with high train frequency can still implement wildlife passages similar to some located along highways like hwy 69 in Ontario.