JASPER NATIONAL PARK - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 321

Ungulates
Five species of deer inhabit the park. The large-eared mule deer is commonly seen around
the edge of the town or grazing along the north end of the Icefields Parkway. White-
tailed deer can be seen throughout the park. A small herd of woodland caribou roams
throughout the park; they are most commonly seen during late spring in the Opal Hills
or along a signposted stretch of the Icefields Parkway. The town of Jasper is in the home
range of about 500 elk, which can be seen most of the year around town or along the high-
way northeast and south of town. Moose, although numbering fewer than 100 in all of
Jasper, can occasionally be seen feeding on aquatic plants along the major drainage sys-
tems.
In summer, mountain goats browse in alpine meadows. A good place for goat watch-
ing is Goat Lookout on the Icefields Parkway. Unlike most of the park's large mammals,
these sure-footed creatures don't migrate to lower elevations in winter but stay sheltered
on rocky crags where wind and sun keep the vegetation snow free. Often confused with
the goat is the darker bighorn sheep. The horns on the males of this species are thick and
often curl 360 degrees. Bighorns are common in the east of the park at Disaster Point and
will often approach cars. An estimated 2,500 bighorn reside in the park.
Bears
Numbering around 80 within Jasper National Park, black bears are widespread and occa-
sionally wander into campgrounds looking for food. They are most commonly seen along
the Icefields Parkway in spring, when they first come out of hibernation. Grizzly bears
are occasionally seen crossing the Icefields Parkway at higher elevations early in summer.
For the most part they remain in remote mountain valleys, and if they do see, smell, or
hear you, they'll generally move away. Read Keep the Wild in Wildlife before setting out
into the woods; the pamphlet is available at information centers throughout the park.
Reclusive Residents
Several of the park's resident species keep a low profile, usually out of sight of humans.
Populations of the shy and elusive lynx fluctuate with that of their primary food source,
the snowshoe hare. The largest of the big cats in the park is the cougar (also called the
mountain lion), a solitary carnivore that inhabits remote valleys. Jasper's wolves are one
of the park's success stories. After being driven to near extinction, the species has reboun-
ded. Five packs now roam the park, but they keep to the deep wilderness rarely traveled