600 lb. Grizzly killed by train

A large, 600-pound male grizzly bear was killed on the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks west of Banff during the early morning hours of last Thursday (May 14). Parks Canada officials say a necropsy performed later that day to determine stomach and intestinal contents indicated the adult bear had been feeding on natural foods, including grass and sedges. There was no obvious sign of grain immediately on top of the train tracks there, but Parks officials say they found grain-filled grizzly bear scat very close to the site. While there was no apparent grain on top of the tracks, environmentalists who visited the site said there was a substantial amount of grain beneath the ballast, some already beginning to spout. Pissot said Defenders congratulates Canadian Pacific Railway for its commitment to repair leaking hopper-gates, but the program is scheduled to take five years, and so trains continue to spill grain. “Even if grain spills are reduced to a minimum, grizzlies and other wildlife still will be attracted to the fresh, fermented and sprouting kernels on the tracks,” he said...RM Outlook