Visitor Guide 2013 - Jasper

the outhouse would reopen shortly.
A reply was grunted at her, so she
turned around. A cub was staring at
her with interest from the doorway.
The startled employee accidentally
tripped over her bucket, sending
both bucket and mop flying towards
the bear. A bucket full of water over
the head was not what the little cub
expected, and he ran off into the
woods sneezing and shaking his head.
Another little bear came across a
group picnic along the Maligne Lake
Road one day and decided to cross
the bridge to get a closer look. The
picnickers ran for the washrooms and
squeezed as many people into each
outhouse as they could, but their noise
and commotion scared the bear and
sent him scurrying up a tree to safety.
This natural curiosity and ability to
cause a commotion was surely the
inspiration behind Jasper the Bear,
the town mascot and local trouble
maker. While once a popular Maclean’s
Magazine cartoon, Jasper the Bear is
more likely to be the life of the party
in town these days, as he celebrates
his 65 th birthday in 2013. Unlike the
rest of his bear brothers and sisters,
this bear is friendly and approachable.
As you can see by the many people
who visit his statue right in town, he
loves hugs and posing for pictures.
Bears, in particular grizzly bears,
have great food memories and will
often return to the same sites if they
had a particularly memorable meal.
The Jasper Tramway often welcomes
a grizzly in early spring at the Top
Station – he’ll come right up on the
balcony to peek in the windows.
Other bears are often seen from the
Tram cabin during the ride, roaming
on the hill below. The golf course at
Jasper Park Lodge is popular with
grizzly bears in the spring as well;
golfers frequently report seeing grizzlies
looking for food along the forest edge
or dashing across the open fairways.
What an incentive for a hole in one!
Jasper National Park offers its visitors
the chance to see wildlife in their
natural habitat and for you to create
your own stories about encounters to
share with both your friends at home
and your new friends here in Jasper.
Get out on the trails and enjoy the
beauty that is Jasper, but please always
remember that you are in their backyard:
be “bear aware” when out on the trails
and respect trail closures and wildlife
notices. To help all of Jasper’s animals
thrive, keep a proper distance when
encountering wildlife and never feed
or approach them. For tips on the
best places to see wildlife and to learn
about wildlife behaviour, visit the Parks
Canada Visitor Information Centre.
Jasper Visitor Guide 17