Play the wildlife safety quiz

The female elk is telling you to move away. She feels threatened by you. You are too close! When a female elk:

• Stares at your intently; or
• Flattens her ears; or
• Curls her lips; or
• Grinds her teeth

she is warning you. She is armed with sharp hooves. She is ready to strike or to charge at you. Elk mothers can be very dangerous and strike without warning.

What to do if an elk encounter happens

Maintain eye contact and back away if you can. If you cannot back away, protect yourself. Move behind a tree or vehicle if you can. If you cannot put a barrier between you and the elk, raise your arms or flap a jacket to appear larger. In extreme situations, bear spray may work on elk. If you are knocked down, get back up. Do not play dead. Do not turn and run. Be assertive.

Wild animals that harm humans may need to be put down. Help protect wild animal mothers and babies. Safety is your responsibility. Learn to read the danger signs. Never follow elk. Never take a selfie with an elk. Stay at least 30 metres away from elk at all times.

Thank you for playing our trivia. Stay safe and enjoy your Jasper adventure!

When you see wildlife while driving, slow down. Where there is one animal there may be more. Turn on your hazard lights to let other drivers know an animal is on the road. Do not stop if it is unsafe to do so. Do not pull over if there are many vehicles already pulled over. Never impede traffic to view wildlife.

If you choose to pull over, make sure your vehicle is all the way off the road. Stay in your vehicle.

Take a picture from inside your vehicle. Move on quickly and safely. Prevent a wildlife traffic jam.

Humans, even when in a car, can cause stress on wildlife. How do you behave when you are stressed? Do you sometimes become sick? Do you feel displaced? Do you sometimes become angry and lash out? Stress hurts wild animals too. Wild animals that are stressed eat less. This makes it harder for animals to survive the winter.

Wild animals often travel and feed near roads. Do not use your vehicle to herd or block wild animals. Jasper has strict laws about how to behave when you see wildlife near roads. Read these laws. The laws help to keep you and wild animals safe.

Thank you for playing our trivia. Stay safe and enjoy your Jasper adventure!

If you see a bear while hiking, remain calm. If the bear is unaware of you, back away quietly without getting its attention.

If the bear sees you, it may bluff charge and turn away at the last minute. Remain calm. Do not scream, run, or move suddenly. Speak to the bear in a calm voice. If you are with others, group together. Make yourself look big. Pick up and carry young children. Do not drop your pack. Back away from the bear slowly. Move off the trail.

To avoid encounters, make noise while hiking on trails. Talk loudly, call-out, or sing while hiking to let bears know you are in the area. Travel in groups. Watch for fresh signs of bears. If you see fresh droppings or other signs of bears, leave the area. Carry bear spray and know how to use it.

Thank you for playing our trivia. Stay safe and enjoy your Jasper adventure!

If you thought you should pack up the picnic, you are right.

Never leave food or garbage unattended, not even for a minute! Wild animals are curious. In a matter of minutes, they can destroy your picnic when you are out of site.

Take a picture from inside your vehicle. Move on quickly and safely. Prevent a wildlife traffic jam.

Wild animals may become used to human food and garbage. This does not mean the animals are tame. Trying to obtain human food or garbage may often make wild animals act more aggressive. Sheep horns are solid and hooves are sharp. They can injure humans.

In turn, human food and garbage can sicken and even kill wildlife. Wild animals are more likely to survive when they keep to a natural diet.

Bighorn sheep may frequent roads once they associate humans with food. This behavior adds to the risk of road accidents that can harm wildlife and visitors.

Keep human food and garbage away from wildlife.

Thank you for playing our trivia. Stay safe and enjoy your Jasper adventure!

Never approach wild animals. Mountain goat horns and hooves are sharp.

When you see unattended food or garbage, inform a Parks Canada employee or contact Jasper National Park Dispatch 780-852-6155. Be ready to provide the location and details about what you see.

You are a park steward when you report or pick up unattended garbage. In this way, you protect wildlife. You also prevent wildlife encounters that may harm humans.

Wildlife that eat human food or garbage often become sick and may die. Plastics and other types of food containers are toxic to wild animals. Human food makes it difficult for wild animals to digest their natural food.

Thank you for playing our trivia. Stay safe and enjoy your Jasper adventure!

Stay in your vehicle. Do not let moose lick your vehicle. If possible, move your car before the moose gets close enough to lick it.

If a moose begins to lick your car before you can safely drive away, be patient. Drive slowly away when traffic permits you to do so. Sudden movements or loud noises, could cause the moose to kick or charge your car.

Many wild animals seek salt as part of their natural diet. Moose and other wildlife may learn that in Canada’s winter, vehicles are covered in road salt. Wild animals that frequent roads and parking lots are at higher risk of harm. Road accidents between moose and vehicles may cause serious harm to both animals and humans.

Thank you for playing our trivia. Stay safe and enjoy your Jasper adventure!