Robson Fletcher / MetroA woman takes a “bear selfie” along the Icefields Parkway in Jasper National Park in May 2015. Parks Canada says staying in your vehicle is advisable but taking your eyes off your subject isn’t, when photographing wild animals.
Parks Canada doesn’t have a specific policy against taking selfies with bears in the background but generally advises against it, especially now that grizzlies are particularly active around the Lake Louise area.
“If taking a selfie or something like that is not going to allow you to be paying attention to your surroundings, then I wouldn’t recommend that,” said Tania Peters, a public relations officer with the Lake Louise, Yoho & Kootenay Field Unit.
“If you’re focused on your camera instead of your safety, that’s certainly compromising you and the wildlife as well,” she added.
Banff’s Tunnel Mountain area closed after grizzly bear charges photographer
Banff National Park issued a bear bulletin this week urging “special caution” while travelling or camping in the vicinity of the Lake Louise townsite or the popular trail networks nearby.
Brianna Burley, a human-wildlife conflict specialist, said the warning was the result of two sub-adult female grizzly bears (known to Parks Canada as Number 142 and Number 143) frequenting the area.
“They’ve been spending a fair bit of time right around the village,” Burley said of the bears. “People walking home from work have encountered them at relatively close distances.”
Visitors who might want to take photos of bears they spot are advised to take extra precautions.
“We really encourage people to keep their distance,” Burley said. “Stay in your vehicle and move on.”
But it’s pretty much impossible to keep a safe distance while taking a selfie with a bear in the background, said Jason Bantle, a professional wildlife photographer who just returned from a trip to the sub-Arctic to photograph polar bears.
Given the wide-angle lenses on smartphones, he said you’d have to get well within 40 metres of a bear to get the shot, while also facing away from the wild animal.
“Why would you ever turn your back on a bear?” Bantle said. “From personal experience, a bear can cover 40 metres in split seconds.”
Last fall, the U.S. Forest Service issued a special warning asking tourists to refrain from taking selfies with bears after a growing number of the images started showing up on social media.
Parks Canada also publishes a list of tips for watching and photographing wildlife, but it doesn’t address selfies, specifically. At least, not yet.
