Grizzly Bear Diversionary Feeding Project

A program that SCWA and the Ministry of Environment have been working on for the past three years, starting in 1995. The purpose of the program was to detract grizzlies and other predators away from new born moose calves, thereby increasing their chances of survival to an age when they could better escape predators. For approximately the first two weeks of life, moose calves are vulnerable to grizzly predation. The project was managed by Doug Heard regional biologist with MOE. He patterned the project after a similar one done in Alaska the results concluded an increased in moose calf survival rates. To accomplish this our goals here road and rail killed animals were collected by SCWA members throughout the winter months and stored in freezer units until spring. As a diversionary food source the collected animals were transported and distributed around the Parsnip River area during moose calving season.

The sample area of the Parsnip River was 22,000 square kilometers. The area has approximately 1400 moose, of which they estimate 700 cows, 140 calves, and 560 bulls. This area's calf survival rate was at 20%, or only 20 out of 100 calves born each spring survived the year. The goal of the project was to increase the moose calf survival rate to 50%. So, in 1995 sixteen cow moose were radio collared in the parsnip reach area this was done in order to determine spring calving sites. Over the winter SCWA members collected road killed animals and stored them in freezers until spring 1996. As the cow moose started to deliver their calves the members of SCWA and the staff from MOE moved the frozen animals to two areas along the Parsnip River. Canadian Helicopters was contracted to pick up and drop the collected carcasses to sites Doug designated, in and around the moose calving area.

The drop process was repeated a week later ensuring the calves as much time as possible to increase their survival. As sites were restocked with carcasses, grizzlies were seen still on the previous week's remains. Other sites showed road kill that had been buried by grizzlies with hooves and such visible from the chopper. On other sites wolves or black bears were seen on or around the piles, and some sites showed everything completely devoured. This process was repeated in 1997 and 1998. During the spring of 1997 barbwire was erected around some of the drop sites to collect grizzly hair samples for DNA testing. The testing will help determine the number of grizzly in the Parsnip area, and has not yet been completed.

To test the success each winter following the drops MOE would fly over the Parsnip River area and count moose, to determine the survival rate of the calves. The first and second year showed no increase in calf survival rate it remained at 20%. The third year showed a survival rate of 50%, our original goal. For the members of the SCWA many questions arise from the results. Why was there no increase until the third year? The success should have been immediate. Originally, the flights showed calves still alive in early winter but not in the spring. This suggested that calves survived grizzly predation, but did not survive the winter, either because of severe winter conditions or wolf predation, as bears hibernate in the winter. The success of this final year brings more questions, what was the determining factor that changed the results in the calves' favour. Doug Heard is presently preparing his report and recommendations, they will be added to this site as they are made available.