Features WLA April 2010 • Vol. 18,No. 2 21 Now they serve as ambassadors in keepers do their best to Skoki’s Currently, these species are restricted Currently, below the upper limit mainly to the areas rates Appropriate stocking of cattle use. damage to this may help to limit further be excluded from system but cattle must in order to protect the upper sub-alpine from undesirable those sensitive systems goals The current management changes. in the Castle should for livestock grazing conserve be to protect watersheds, heavily wildlife habitat, improve and areas wherever possible, impacted systems elevation sensitive protect high from grazing. in is a botanist who lives Reg Ernst in role He plays an active Lethbridge. with the members AWA acquainting is reputed He Castle area. of the wonders as recognize will you person be the to of Flora Moss’s carrying one the arm. his under well-known grizzly #66 was housed at well-known grizzly a suitable home the until Zoo The Calgary was found for him. a grizzly orphan requested that Koda, Zoo in Edmonton, join Valley from the spend little Cubs Mistaya for company. benefited time alone. Both orphans love each other’s from and seemed to the They were kept together at company. Calgary Zoo until an exhibit was built in Saskatoon. , representing a species that once roamed the prairies. insure that his days are filled with habitats are changed The bear variety. Sometimes the bears are regularly. enclosures. Skoki moved into different is visited regularly and always he is a centre of attention for various groups enjoying and learning from the Zoo’s offer keepers Two programs about bears. educational programs to visitors; one speaks with the participants, while the other is attentive to the bears. Some of koki S 4. Fence off the upper portions of the upper portions 4. Fence off For a short time another adult grizzly For a short time another The Calgary Zoo has housed all on and from the extensive trail system into and from the extensive trail system into inevitably lead the forested areas will and non-native to an increase in weeds of season of use, class review A plants. rates may reveal of livestock, or stocking the area can be how management of improved. Canyon to Yarrow Spionkop Canyon and from entering exclude cattle permanently and alpine areas the upper sub-alpine areas Review other in these canyons. grazing to assess whether in the Castle elevation in sensitive high is occurring systems. Summary decades, the past several Over activities by human caused disturbance allowed has grazing livestock including become to species weedy and non-native canyons. Range Front the in established the spring with a cub sired by Curly. That sired by Curly. the spring with a cub Curly and Florence cub is Kutzeymateen. arrival. Louise both died before Skoki’s died in 2008. with Louise, shared the enclosure an In 2000 Nakiska Skoki and Kutzy. the eastern slopes unmarked bear from removed from south of Canmore, was her home range – habitat that had been dramatically degraded during her life because of residential, recreational and As an 18-year-old resort development. fared poorly with the Nakiska bear, dramatic change in her life and sadly she died during the summer of 2001. American bear species. three North Almost always, other bears may be seen There are four in nearby enclosures. resident black bears just across the hill enclosure. For a couple of from Skoki’s years there were two orphaned polar bear cubs ‘next door’, waiting for a facility to be built for them in . Mistaya, the single surviving cub of Banff’s pdate

2010 U 2010 Campbell By Colleen ow 22 years old, Skoki has been ow 22 years old, Skoki 14 years. at the Calgary Zoo for There his life has followed

2. Implement a long-term weed 2. Implement a long-term along situation the grazing 3. Review In contrast to a wild life, Skoki has

to overgrazing in the areas they actually use. control on any control plan. If weed as a one-time event, given area is treated problem. Research it may exacerbate the of that one-time treatments has shown density can increase weed infestations by hand disturbance caused because the favoured applying herbicide pulling and control is species. If, instead, the weedy seasons it over several applied annually weed species. target the can eliminate Canyon. Yarrow in corridor riparian the from produced soil bare existing The corridor stream the along trampling cattle by the cattle. Including areas that cattle won’t use (i.e. slopes and other areas away from the riparian corridor) inflates the numberAnimal of Unit Months (AUMs) available and leads

a very different course than it would course than it a very different in the wild. In have had he remained would have lived his home territory he He only would have quite a solitary life. for breeding. sought out other grizzlies most of his life He would have spent avoiding humans, foraging and sleeping If still alive alone in a den every winter. in the wild, he would be several years past his prime. lived socially and well with other grizzly bears in the same enclosure. He was introduced to Louise and Kutzeymateen soon after his arrival at the Calgary Zoo in 1996. By then, Louise, 20 years old, was a long-term resident at the zoo. She had previously been in the company of Curly and Florence, two older grizzly Florence, from the bears. One winter, a den moved into Territories, Northwest on the hillside of the grizzly enclosure in surprise, emerged and to everyone’s N Nearly 1.5 million people visit the visit the people 1.5 million Nearly Calgary Zoo every year. Skoki is an Skoki year. Zoo every Calgary and ambassador for bears influential of animals and a source other wild helps for humans. Skoki inspiration to protect of why we need tell the story care the attentive With wild habitat. the Zoo he is given by his keepers, Skoki may staff, veterinarians and other May he live that live to 40 years or more. Alberta be blessed with long and may wild then than we more grizzlies in the have now. in has lived Colleen, Victoria-born, she since 1982. In 1991 Canmore of the Rockies expanded her enjoyment to start work climbing and skiing from The knowledge as a wildlife researcher. informs her artwork and gained there writing. Too often the norms of our society Too in the zoo with the same ease that he ease that the same zoo with in the Valley on tourists accepted his unique Ultimately Parkway. a “star” in has rendered him personality Calgary programming at the educational visitors alike love and staff Zoo; Zoo him. like Skoki dictate that grizzly bears from the wild. should be removed a few Skokis can Unfortunately only While arguably find homes in captivity. good life Skoki has had a relatively fate of many at the Calgary Zoo the and victimized other orphaned grizzlies There darker. bears is uncertain and in North are only 250 accredited fewer have suitable America and many The experience of bear enclosures. Skoki underlines that we must treat we grizzlies well; most importantly, must be proactive and protect intact and connected wild habitat so that grizzly Alberta. bears continue to survive in wild PHOTO: C. CAMPBELL PHOTO: Skoki’s health is good. He hovers Skoki’s Each bear is as distinct as each Skoki. the special programs occur in the service in the service occur programs the special way to special and very it is a quiet area; The keepers provide the bears. visit with for the bears at unpredictable enrichment a little occasionally visit for times and certain to encourage training session they Sometimes kinds of behaviour. sip a cup of tea simply stop by to sit, — what we and visit with the bears visit. Food is might regard as a social promote ways to delivered in different and creativity that the natural curiosity to find food. bears in the wild use and on occasion around 400 kilograms have his teeth and he is immobilized to checked. general physical condition Three fulltime zoo veterinarians supervise his care to insure that he does not have a tooth abscess or the tumours that the aged in any mammalian species are more likely to develop. human. Skoki accommodated to life

Features WLA April 2010 • Vol. 18,No. 2 22