By Colleen Campbell
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by the cattle. Including areas that cattle and from the extensive trail system into Currently, these species are restricted won’t use (i.e. slopes and other areas the forested areas will inevitably lead mainly to the areas below the upper limit away from the riparian corridor) inflates to an increase in weeds and non-native of cattle use. Appropriate stocking rates the number of Animal Unit Months plants. A review of season of use, class may help to limit further damage to this (AUMs) available and leads of livestock, or stocking rates may reveal system but cattle must be excluded from to overgrazing in the areas they how management of the area can be the upper sub-alpine in order to protect actually use. improved. those sensitive systems from undesirable 2. Implement a long-term weed 4. Fence off the upper portions of changes. The current management goals control plan. If weed control on any Spionkop Canyon and Yarrow Canyon to for livestock grazing in the Castle should given area is treated as a one-time event, exclude cattle permanently from entering be to protect watersheds, conserve it may exacerbate the problem. Research the upper sub-alpine and alpine areas wildlife habitat, improve heavily has shown that one-time treatments of in these canyons. Review other areas impacted areas wherever possible, and infestations can increase weed density in the Castle to assess whether grazing protect high elevation sensitive systems because the disturbance caused by hand is occurring in sensitive high elevation from grazing. pulling and applying herbicide favoured systems. the weedy species. If, instead, control is Reg Ernst is a botanist who lives in applied annually over several seasons it Summary Lethbridge. He plays an active role in can eliminate the target weed species. Over the past several decades, acquainting AWA members with the 3. Review the grazing situation along disturbance caused by human activities wonders of the Castle area. He is reputed the riparian corridor in Yarrow Canyon. including livestock grazing has allowed to be the person you will recognize as The existing bare soil produced from non-native and weedy species to become the one carrying Moss’s Flora of Alberta cattle trampling along the stream corridor established in the Front Range canyons. under his arm. 2010 UPdate on skoki By Colleen Campbell f E atu RE s ow 22 years old, Skoki has been the spring with a cub sired by Curly. That well-known grizzly #66 was housed at at the Calgary Zoo for 14 years. cub is Kutzeymateen. Curly and Florence the Calgary Zoo until a suitable home NThere his life has followed both died before Skoki’s arrival. Louise was found for him. The Calgary Zoo a very different course than it would died in 2008. requested that Koda, a grizzly orphan have had he remained in the wild. In For a short time another adult grizzly from the Valley Zoo in Edmonton, join his home territory he would have lived shared the enclosure with Louise, Mistaya for company. Cubs spend little WLA April 2010 • Vol. 18, Vol. April 2010 • WLA quite a solitary life. He only would have Skoki and Kutzy. In 2000 Nakiska an time alone. Both orphans benefited sought out other grizzlies for breeding. unmarked bear from the eastern slopes from and seemed to love each other’s He would have spent most of his life south of Canmore, was removed from company. They were kept together at the avoiding humans, foraging and sleeping her home range – habitat that had been Calgary Zoo until an exhibit was built in alone in a den every winter. If still alive dramatically degraded during her life Saskatoon. in the wild, he would be several years because of residential, recreational and Now they serve as ambassadors in past his prime. resort development. As an 18-year-old Saskatchewan, representing a species that In contrast to a wild life, Skoki has bear, Nakiska fared poorly with the once roamed the prairies. lived socially and well with other grizzly dramatic change in her life and sadly she Skoki’s keepers do their best to No. 2 bears in the same enclosure. He was died during the summer of 2001. insure that his days are filled with introduced to Louise and Kutzeymateen The Calgary Zoo has housed all variety. The bear habitats are changed soon after his arrival at the Calgary Zoo three North American bear species. regularly. Sometimes the bears are in 1996. By then, Louise, 20 years old, Almost always, other bears may be seen moved into different enclosures. Skoki was a long-term resident at the zoo. She in nearby enclosures. There are four is visited regularly and always he is a 21 had previously been in the company of resident black bears just across the hill centre of attention for various groups Curly and Florence, two older grizzly from Skoki’s enclosure. For a couple of enjoying and learning from the Zoo’s bears. One winter, Florence, from the years there were two orphaned polar bear programs about bears. Two keepers offer Northwest Territories, moved into a den cubs ‘next door’, waiting for a facility educational programs to visitors; one on the hillside of the grizzly enclosure to be built for them in Quebec. Mistaya, speaks with the participants, while the and to everyone’s surprise, emerged in the single surviving cub of Banff’s other is attentive to the bears. Some of the special programs occur in the service in the zoo with the same ease that he Nearly 1.5 million people visit the area; it is a quiet and very special way to accepted tourists on the Bow Valley Calgary Zoo every year. Skoki is an visit with the bears. The keepers provide Parkway. Ultimately his unique influential ambassador for bears and enrichment for the bears at unpredictable personality has rendered him a “star” in other wild animals and a source of times and occasionally visit for a little educational programming at the Calgary inspiration for humans. Skoki helps training session to encourage certain Zoo; Zoo staff and visitors alike love tell the story of why we need to protect kinds of behaviour. Sometimes they him. wild habitat. With the attentive care simply stop by to sit, sip a cup of tea Too often the norms of our society he is given by his keepers, the Zoo and visit with the bears — what we dictate that grizzly bears like Skoki veterinarians and other staff, Skoki may might regard as a social visit. Food is should be removed from the wild. live to 40 years or more. May he live that delivered in different ways to promote Unfortunately only a few Skokis can long and may Alberta be blessed with the natural curiosity and creativity that find homes in captivity. While arguably more grizzlies in the wild then than we bears in the wild use to find food. Skoki has had a relatively good life have now. Skoki’s health is good. He hovers at the Calgary Zoo the fate of many around 400 kilograms and on occasion other orphaned grizzlies and victimized Colleen, Victoria-born, has lived in he is immobilized to have his teeth and bears is uncertain and darker. There Canmore since 1982. In 1991 she general physical condition checked. are only 250 accredited zoos in North expanded her enjoyment of the Rockies Three fulltime zoo veterinarians America and many fewer have suitable from climbing and skiing to start work supervise his care to insure that he does bear enclosures. The experience of as a wildlife researcher. The knowledge not have a tooth abscess or the tumours Skoki underlines that we must treat gained there informs her artwork and that the aged in any mammalian species grizzlies well; most importantly, we writing. are more likely to develop. must be proactive and protect intact and Each bear is as distinct as each connected wild habitat so that grizzly human. Skoki accommodated to life bears continue to survive in wild Alberta. f E atu RE s WLA April 2010 • Vol. 18, Vol. April 2010 • WLA No. 2 22 Skoki. PHOTO: C. CAMPBELL.