Baby bears chewing on litter near Highway 93 raises concerns

Another wildlife photographer is warning of the dangers facingbears in the national parks because of human behaviour.

Recently CBC reported on a video posted on YouTube that shows a couple feeding a blackbear out of their vehicle.

• Feeding pepperoni sticks to a bear 'isn't good,' Parks Canada says
• Mother bear rescues cub from B.C. highway
• Black bear hit, killed by vehicle on Trans-Canada Highway

Now photographer Jason LeoBantlesays trash in the ditch by Highway 93 is proving to beanirresistibledraw for a grizzly and her cubs this week.

"These bears being near the roadway, if they are finding little treats as we may call it then they can end up frequenting theroadway more, and of course with the high speed of traffic we end up havingsituations wherebearsgethit," he said."I think we know the mortality statistics that we are losing a lot of bears along roadwaysin Alberta."

Bantle says he has also seen the cubs chewing on and playing with litter.

One cub spent a lot of time with an empty sardine can, which he says can habituate them to human food.

On top of the litter problem,Bantlealso says he has seen families with children getting way tooclose to the animals in order to take pictures.

"You should not be getting out of avehicle," said "I saw a couple with five- or six-year-old children basically 40 yards from thisbeartaking pictures outof their vehicle. You know, that's a very dangerous situation."

He says parks officials have been on scene cleaning up the garbage and trying to managethe human interaction.

But it puzzles him why so few people are getting the message about being safe around wildlife.

Kootenay National Parkput out awarningabout themama bearand her two cubs spending a lot of time nearHighway 93 earlier this week.

Motorists are urged not to stop and feed the bears,and to slow down in areas where they are spotted.