A black bear cub with signs of neurological disease was euthanized in Banff last week.
The year-old black bear cub was found wandering alone on Banff’s Bow Valley Parkway and had “extremely poor body condition” and showed “signs of severe neurological disease,” according to a statement from Parks Canada.
The cub was euthanized by parks staff on May 9.
“Due to the cub’s age and poor health status, rehabilitation was not a viable option,” read a statement shared by Parks Canada Thursday.
“This was the most humane action to take for the sake of the animal.”
Parks Canada did not respond to questions about possible causes of the neurological disease, or whether similar symptoms had been documented before.
In recent years, researchers in California have been watching cases of black bears showing symptoms of neurological disease, particularly in the area of Lake Tahoe.
The cause is still a mystery, but is still relatively rare and does not appear to be impacting populations.
Viral infections including bird flu can sometimes lead to neurological effects. One bear in California also showed traces of the rodent poison bromethalin.
Parks Canada did not say whether further tests are planned to determine a cause for the cub’s symptoms or any indication of what happened to its mother.
Black bears are a widespread and common species in Alberta and populations in North America have grown in recent decades.
Another neurological disease – chronic wasting disease – has grown rapidly in deer species in Alberta over the past two decades. It is caused by a misshapen protein called a prion that creates a cascading effect on the animal’s brain leading to death.
There is nothing to indicate any relation between the cases. While young animals can become infected, prion diseases typically take years to develop to the fatal stage.
