Alberta Bears Video To Open New Doors Alberta Parks Conservation

Alberta Bears Video Goes Viral, Conservation Discussions

Dancing bears may not be new to the Internet, but these bears in Alberta open up dialog about wildlife and habitat conservation in the region.

The video was created by Alberta Parks officer Glenn Naylor in his spare time, and the enthusiastic reception it has received has been hard for him to believe. Clips from the video have been making rounds since July have received attention from more than one TV show in the US and garnered interest from as far away as Japan. Right now, BBC producers are now considering the launch of a new show featuring the grizzlies. Producers will travel to Alberta in January to investigate the project further.

The ‘dancing’ bears in the video are actually rubbing against the tree to leave scent markers for other animals, especially their own kind, to mark their territory and leave an olfactory message that those who later sniff the tree will understand. In the animal kingdom, the behavior is relatively common among most types of bears and other animals. It is a behavior that humans seldom have the chance to witness.

Park officials are hoping the video opens a dialog about bear behavior and habitat, as well as important bear-safety issues in their region, where bear attacks are infrequent, but too-often fatal for the humans involved. This sudden popularity is offering an opportunity to discuss these issues that park officers are only too eager to seize.

Despite the graininess of the footage, brought to life from still images gathered from motion-sensor cameras located in the wild, the video has been viewed well over 2.5 million times online. The sensation has sparked an interest in creating more social media marketing opportunities for the Alberta Parks system; however, this one might prove difficult to match. Other videos are in the works.