A new study has confirmed what wildlife managers have long suspected: when food gets scarce, grizzly bears stop avoiding roads. In Banff National Park, food is increasingly scarce in exactly the wrong places.
Nakoda Banff's White Grizzly Was Killed By A Vehicle
The research followed 109 GPS-collared grizzly bears across 85,000 km² of the southern Canadian Rockies. It was published in 2025 in Conservation Science and Practice and co-authored by Banff National Park wildlife ecologist Jesse Whittington.
Grizzly Bears Banff Roads: When the Food Is Right There
Roadsides offer open canopy, edge vegetation, and reliable food – grasses in spring, buffaloberry by late summer. For a bear trying to survive winter, that's a hard offer to refuse.
In higher-productivity areas, bears stay well clear of roads. In the dry pine stands and rocky terrain of the Alberta parks, they have far less choice.
“Limited food sources are drawing more bears toward roadside vegetation,” said Daniella Rubeling, acting superintendent of Banff National Park. “That shift increases their exposure to people, and with that, the risk of conflict and mortality.”
The Landscape Is Getting Harder to Cross
Roads, towns, logging, and proposed mine expansions are all reducing the connectivity grizzlies need to find mates, access food, and sustain viable populations. Some subpopulations are already becoming isolated.
The study modelled three scenarios – no disturbance, current conditions, and increased future development. The trend pointed in the same direction each time.
Female bears generally avoided moving through towns in spring and summer. Males were more likely to push through. Whether that reflects boldness or desperation, the study doesn't say.
What Should Happen Next
Researchers suggest early detection systems and patrol vehicles with flashing lights in high-risk roadside areas. Long-term, restoring habitat away from infrastructure could pull bears back from the roadside margin.
The warning from south of the border is worth noting. Connectivity between the Greater Yellowstone population and neighbouring US populations has been almost entirely lost – and rebuilding corridors once they're gone is considerably harder than keeping them open.
Grizzly bears have navigated this landscape for thousands of years longer than the highway has existed. The study raises the question of how much longer that balance holds.