The first spring sightings of famed alpha male grizzly The Boss is being seen as a reminder that the season of bear awareness in the Rockies has arrived. Read More
The first spring sightings of famed alpha male grizzly The Boss is being seen as a reminder that the season of bear awareness in the Rockies has arrived. Parks Canada has confirmed the massive grizzly — also known as Bear 122 — was captured in a trail camera photo in the lower Bow Valley on
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The first spring sightings of famed alpha male grizzly The Boss is being seen as a reminder that the season of bear awareness in the Rockies has arrived.
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Parks Canada has confirmed the massive grizzly — also known as Bear 122 — was captured in a trail camera photo in the lower Bow Valley on April 7.
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“Bears are awake and active in Banff National Park. Bear activity will begin to increase within the national park, as spring arrives,” Parks Canada said in an email.
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At the same time, the federal agency announced seasonal closures in several parts of the park to protect sensitive wildlife.
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The Boss is considered the toughest and most dominant male grizzly in the Bow Valley region. An estimated 300-kilograms, he is believed to be approximately 24 years old.
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Last fall, the big bruin raised concerns by appearing repeatedly in Canmore and nearby Harvie Heights, scavenging for tree fruit before heading into his winter slumber.
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A wildlife scientist said earlier mild spring weather has brought out bears slightly more quickly than usual.
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“I’ve seen a collared one walking by my house,” said Clayton Lamb, who monitors bears in the Elk Valley of southeastern B.C.
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“It’s the typical challenge of bears navigating a pretty busy (human-occupied) landscape.”
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Finding food shouldn’t be unusually challenging for the bruins in the spring, a scenario that’s more likely in the late summer and fall when berry crops might be affected by weather conditions, said Lamb.
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But some spring conflict with humans could occur, depending on how much dead livestock is on the landscape that acts as an attractant to bears, he said.
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And the presence of large, dominant grizzlies in the Alberta-B.C. Rockies is hardly confined to The Boss, he said.
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“There are larger, non-celebrity bears throughout the range — we see older grizzly bears without ears due to fighting,” said Lamb, adding that as those bears get older and lose their teeth, they tend to take more risks around people.
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Harvie Heights photographer Jason Bantle said he spoke with visitors from the UK who spotted bear 122 between Banff and Lake Louise on Tuesday.
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“They were on their way back to Britain and were absolutely thrilled they’d seen him,” said Bantle, adding he’s had a dozen encounters with the grizzly over the years.
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“He and I have a connection – he seems to find me without me looking for him.”
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The provincial government on Friday issued a reminder for Albertans to take precautions now that black and grizzly bears are emerging from hibernation.