Abstract 194 – Aversive conditioning of grizzly bears in Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada between 2000 and 2023.

John Paczkowski, Claire Edwards, Jay Honeyman, Derek Ryder

Aversive conditioning is a grizzly bear management tool which has been employed in the Parks
and Protected areas of Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada for over 20 years. The aversive
conditioning program involves applying different conditioning stimuli to grizzly bears in an
effort to change their behaviour and maintain public safety. We will discuss the context,
evolution and operational requirements of the program. We reviewed and summarized over
10,000 grizzly bear aversive conditioning records collected between the 2000 and 2023. Most of
the over 50 grizzly bears involved in the program were habituated female grizzly bears that
demonstrated a strong fidelity to the facility zone, an area of high human visitation and
recreational infrastructure. Juvenile and young bears, typically required more aversive
conditioning actions, while conditioning frequency diminished with age. None of the bears
involved in the aversive conditioning program were involved in a serious human wildlife
conflicts causing human injury or death. The aversive conditioning program has also reduced
the need for local facility closures and management removals of bears. Survival and
reproductive success of bears involved in the aversive conditioning program were relatively
high, which may contribute to a locally stable to grizzly bear population. Bears that left the
operational area of the aversive conditioning program, specifically protected areas, were often
subject to a higher frequency of management actions and removals. We will also discuss the
efficacy of different noise, projectile and contact projectile stimuli as well as the use of Karelian
Bear dogs. The Kananaskis Country aversive conditioning program is a model of how
management actions can achieve both public safety and conservation objectives in a high
recreational use landscape specifically parks and protected areas.