CANMORE – Bull elk at Lawrence Grassi Middle School were being aggressive toward kids on their way to school last week.
Four bull elk and 45 female elk were on the fields at Lawrence Grassi Middle School last Thursday (Sept. 27). The largest bull was bugling and protecting the cows from other bulls.
Known as the fall rut, mature bull elk can become extremely aggressive as they begin rounding up female elk into harems in a fierce competition to breed throughout September and October.
Provincial wildlife officials say the bulls were also acting aggressively toward children biking nearby on their way to Lawrence Grassi Middle School.
“Elk in school yards is a safety concern,” said Jay Honeyman, a human-wildlife conflict specialist with Alberta Environment and Parks.
Elk gather in school fields and playgrounds throughout town, including during the fall rut. Fish and Wildlife officers had to herd one of the large bull elk from Lawrence Grassi Middle School, Thursday (Sept. 27).
Chris MacPhee, superintendent of Canadian Rockies Public Schools (CRPS), said safety of students is paramount, noting elk on school fields is a concern.
“This is fairly regular. We’re used to this happening, but obviously it’s always a concern,” he said.
“The number of times we’re seeing them seems to be on the increase a little bit.”
Big herds gather in and around Canmore, at times seeking a safe haven within residential neighbourhoods from predators like wolves, or are drawn in by the food buffets found in urban-style gardens, lawns and school fields.
This was identified as a main concern by the Bow Valley human-wildlife coexistence taskforce, which wants to avoid serious elk attacks on people or having carnivores like grizzly bears and wolves venturing into town to hunt elk.
Particularly during the fall elk rut and early in spring, elk gather on the school grounds at Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Academy and École Notre-Dame des Monts at Three Sisters, which lies within a wildlife corridor.
Teachers on yard duty carry bear spray and whistles and Our Lady of the Snows carries out bi-monthly wildlife drills.
Phil Puurunen, principal of Our Lady of the Snows, said school administrators place a call to Fish and Wildlife when elk are on the field during school hours.
“If they’re available, they send someone and haze them off, and if they don’t move we’ll call an indoor recess,” said Puurunen.
“It’s such a rarity for us. We have so few indoor recesses, maybe three to four to five a year at the top end,” he added.
“It might sound stupid, but the elk actually know the bell schedule. They’re out there when buses arrives, and by the time it’s recess, the elk have moved on.”
One of the recommendations to come out of the human-wildlife coexistence taskforce was to consider fencing some schoolyards and playgrounds in order to keep elk out.
Canmore Mayor John Borrowman, who was co-chair of the committee, said the issue would come to council for discussion as part of capital budget deliberations, adding community consultation will also be required.
“Personally, I’m certainly open to the conversation,” said Borrowman in a recent inteview.
CRPS’s MacPhee said he’s unsure if the answer is fencing, but he’s open to what the experts say.
“I would have to rely on professionals to tell me what’s best in these types of scenarios,” he said.
MacPhee said if elk are present in the morning at a school, the first call goes to the transportation department, which brings students in on buses because nearby elk may affect where students are dropped off.
“If elk are right in the parking lot, the kids aren’t getting off the bus,” he said.
The second call is made to Fish and Wildlife.
“Fish and Wildlife are excellent and the elk are usually gone by recess,” said MacPhee. “Sometimes they are not able to make it right away, but there’s adults to make sure kids don’t go anywhere near the animals, and avoiding where they are.”
