Three wolf pups were hit and killed by a train in Banff National Park early Monday morning, dealing yet another blow to the troubled Bow Valley pack and causing major concern for its overall survival in the area.
Around 2:20 a.m. Monday, three pups were struck by a CP train on the tracks around Mile 87.5, located in the stretch that runs along the Bow Valley Parkway west of the town of Banff.
Wildlife experts were out in the field and unavailable for an interview until Tuesday, according to Parks Canada spokeswoman Kelly Bertoncini, who had no further details.
Officials with CP Rail have confirmed the strike.
“The train crew immediately reported the incident to CP’s operation centre who then reported it to Parks Canada,” Salem Woodrow, a spokeswoman, said in an email.
The incident is under investigation, she said.
The wolf deaths are the latest in a series of losses for the Bow Valley wolf pack, which lost another pup on the railway tracks a couple of weeks ago.
The four deaths come after the mother wolf was shot and killed by Parks Canada, because she became aggressive when she had developed a taste for human food and garbage.
The adult female in the Bow Valley wolf pack was killed on June 7, 2016, after she became aggressive with people.
Another one of the pack members was darted and fitted with a monitoring collar a few days later, meaning three of the remaining four grown wolves in the pack — including the father, or alpha male — can be closely watched.
It’s believed there are still two pups left in the pack, based on a photograph taken last week with five pups in it.
Five Bow Valley wolf pups were photographed early in the morning on June 26, 2016, as two yearlings were nearby. Three were killed on the railway tracks early on July 4.
Wildlife officials have said there’s a 40 to 60 per cent mortality rate for wolf pups.
Paul Paquet, a renowned wolf expert, said pups can die but these deaths are directly attributable to people.
“This is over and above what might occur normally — and that’s a major concern,” he said. “We have a very congested Bow Valley and multiple threats to their survival.
“It’s a very, very difficult place for wolves to survive.”
Photographer John Marriott, who sat on a committee to improve the Bow Valley Parkway for wildlife, said the deaths aren’t unexpected in such a heavily congested valley.
“These wolves have no where to go,” he said, noting the train tracks are almost a kilometre from the den site so they appear to be wandering farther away earlier in the season.
Paquet suggested that it’s time for CP rail to consider slowing down their trains to help protect some wildlife in the parks.
“CP is good about reporting,” he said. “They haven’t been good at slowing down.”
Officials with CP did not directly address the issue of train speeds in their emailed statement — although they said they’ve instructed crews to be on the lookout for wildlife through the corridor.
They added that they continue to work closely with Parks Canada to reduce wildlife deaths.
