BANFF – The Boss, the patriarch of Bow Valley grizzly bears, caused quite the stir in Canmore on Sunday (Nov. 3) as he made his way outside the protected boundaries of Banff National Park and into residential areas in Canmore.
Confirmed to be bear No. 122, the roughly 28-year-old famous male grizzly bear was first spotted in Harvie Heights but had moved into Canmore around 5 p.m., with several sightings in the Palliser area before he meandered further east toward Cougar Creek.
As darkness hit, the Boss crossed Benchlands Trail, stopping as a vehicle buzzed by, and soon stood on his hind legs to look over a tall fence of a backyard, seemingly looking for an easy snack before he heads into the den for the winter.
“This grizzly is huge,” said Canmore resident Alicia Evans, who captured video of The Boss as he meandered across a parking lot and Benchlands Trail.
“He stood up on his back legs and kind of just peered over the fence. And it would have been just looking over that fence, I’d say, for one to two minutes.”
As a young teen was riding his bike up the hill, Evans yelled to him to alert him of the big bear’s presence.
“It was relatively dark so I yelled at him and he virtually dropped his bike, and then he saw the bear,” she said.
“A guy in a truck had also seen what was happening and he stayed on the road there and actually loaded the kid’s bike into his truck and must have taken the kid home.”
Evans was quick to call in the bear sighting to Kananaskis Emergency Services (KES) when she first spotted the large male grizzly about 5:45 p.m. near the bike park off Benchlands Trail while out for a walk after work.
“The moment I put my headlamp on and looked up the trail he was walking straight down the trail towards me,” she said. “It was a lumber, like it was this slow walk, and I just thought that’s a huge bear.”
Evans backed away, retreating to the parking lot off Benchlands Trail.
“My headlamp picked up the glow of his eyes so that’s how I was able to keep an eye on him as I walked back,” she said.
The grizzly bear showed no signs of aggression and seemed unfazed by her presence, Evans said.
“He just plodded along and I obviously kept an eye on it, but there was very little interest in me,” she said.
“It’s kind of like he has this presence, that he owns the place and he’s not phased.”
Near the parking lot, Evans came across a man walking his dog and let him know the grizzly bear was headed their way.
She said the bruin had no reaction to the man and his dog, either.
“Fortunately, he had his car parked in the parking lot so I sat in his car,” she said.
“We kept an eye on him, and then funny enough, he stopped at one point and just sat down.”
Despite the darkness, a few people were beginning to notice the grizzly bear, said Evans, but he meandered down a walking path towards Cougar Point Road.
Shortly after he emerged back onto the sidewalk on Benchlands Trail again, peering over the fence into a yard.
“Then he went back down the laneway at that point. I’ve got a couple of friends on Cougar Point so I just let them know,” she said.
“I gave KES another call and updated them where he was heading.”
It's thought The Boss hunkered down for the night.
Town of Canmore officials say municipal enforcement received a report from an individual while doing traffic enforcement on Palliser Trail that there was a large grizzly in the area.
Caitlin Miller, manager of protective services for the Town of Canmore, said the bear was travelling along the wooded area behind the buildings and was not accessing wildlife attractants.
“The RCMP and municipal enforcement monitored the bear and informed people walking and cycling in the area to avoid travelling in the direction of the bear,” she said.
“Fish & Wildlife were called but as the bear was travelling through, was not accessing wildlife attractants, and was not acting aggressive, they did not attend.”
The presence of The Boss in Canmore serves as a good reminder that bears are still out and about.
“Canmore residents should be vigilant about bringing bear spray with them while out in the community and making sure they have secured wildlife attractants,” Miller said.
“Pumpkins should not be left outside and can be put into community food waste bins.”
Last fall, bear No. 122 made his way into residential neighbourhoods in Banff and feasted on fruit trees and bluff-charged residents, prompting Banffites to chop down a record number of fruit trees in the coming weeks in order to protect the beloved bear.
With little natural food left on the landscape, bears are trying to fatten up ahead of hibernation.
“Clearly, he’s bulking up like all the rest of them and trying to eat,” said Evans.
Nick de Ruyter, program director with Bow Valley WildSmart, said some bears have not yet gone into the den.
“Bears are still out and about so carry bear spray when out walking,” he said in a Facebook post.
“Remove all attractants such as fruit trees, bird feeders and pumpkins from your yard to avoid drawing bears into town and getting them into trouble.”
The Boss, typically the last bear in Banff to go into the den and the first out in spring, has new scarring, believed to be from a rumble with another big bear, but Parks Canada has reported he seems healthy.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Videos courtesy of Alicia Evans.