Daughter of Banff's Famous "Boss" Bear at Centre of Viral Off-Leash Dog Encounter

When video of a grizzly bear encounter on the Taylor Lake trail began circulating on social media earlier this month, many viewers focused on the bear.

The footage shows a man backing slowly down the trail while facing the grizzly bear and repeatedly telling it to "back off." Behind him, a woman calls for their dog, Lola, as it barks at the bear. The dog briefly returns toward the hikers before turning back toward the bear. As the hikers continue backing away, the bear continues walking down the trail in their direction.

No one was injured.

But following an investigation, Parks Canada identified the two hikers involved and charged them under the National Parks of Canada Domestic Animal Regulations for having an off-leash dog. The charge carries a maximum penalty of $25,000, with any penalty ultimately determined by a judge. Their first court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 25 in Canmore.

For Parks Canada and wildlife experts, the encounter serves as a reminder that the greatest risk did not come from the bear's behaviour. It came from the dog.

A Well-Known Bear

The grizzly bear captured in the video was Bear 142, one of Banff National Park's best-known female grizzlies.

Many Bow Valley residents will recognize Bear 142 as the daughter of Bear 122, better known as "The Boss," one of the park's most recognizable grizzly bears.

The bear has also been in the news recently. In May, one of her two cubs was struck and killed by a train near Protection Mountain, drawing renewed attention to wildlife mortality along Banff's rail corridor. Parks Canada said at the time that Bear 142 and her remaining cub continued behaving normally after the collision.

Nick de Ruyter, Program Director of WildSmart with the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley, said the fact Bear 142 was involved makes the incident especially significant.

"Bear 142 is a female grizzly bear of breeding age with cubs and since grizzly bears are a threatened species in Alberta, these females are critical for the grizzly bear population," he said. "It would be such a waste if she had to be killed due to an encounter with a group of people with an off-leash dog."

Off-leash dogs can turn otherwise routine wildlife encounters into dangerous ones. If a bear seriously injures a person while defending itself against a dog or becomes an ongoing threat to public safety, wildlife managers may ultimately be forced to relocate or euthanize the animal.

Looking Beyond The Video

To many viewers, the bear appeared to be following the hikers.

De Ruyter said he interpreted the encounter differently.

"The bear appeared to not care about them or the dog and was just trying to walk down the trail and the people were simply in the way," he said. "The people had ample time to get their dog under control and either put it on a leash or pick it up and carry it, but they did not. With the dog under control, they could have tried to move off of the trail together as a group and let the bear pass by on the trail."

He said the hikers did several things correctly. They had bear spray ready, remained relatively calm, spoke to the bear and backed away while continuing to face it rather than turning and running.

But he also believes they made decisions that unnecessarily increased the risk.

"They were busy filming the encounter instead of picking up their dog or putting it on a leash and focusing on handling the encounter properly," he said.

He also said the hikers should have grouped together more closely and, if it was safe to do so, moved off the trail to allow the bear to continue past.

Why Off-Leash Dogs Matter

Parks Canada says the charges were laid because the hikers' dog was off leash, not because the encounter resulted in an attack.

"Failing to keep your pets leashed in the national parks poses risks to pets and wildlife," Parks Canada spokesperson James Eastham said in a written statement to Bow Valley Insider.

"Bears and other wildlife may react aggressively toward dogs they view as threats, resulting in their injury or death. Off-leash dogs can also cause wildlife stress, leading to them avoiding important habitat and sources of food."

De Ruyter said dogs can quickly change an otherwise manageable wildlife encounter.

"The problem with off-leash dogs is that they are unpredictable and they can very easily make the encounter go from positive to negative," he said. "The big deal is that the presence of the off-leash dog could have easily caused the bear to charge and attack the dog and/or people."

He said bears generally view dogs as similar to wolves and coyotes, their natural competitors.

"What many dog owners don't realize is that after being chased by an off-leash dog, bears will realize they are bigger and stronger and will turn the tables and start chasing the dog," he said. "When scared, the dog runs back to its owners for safety with a very angry bear chasing it. These scenarios often result in the people and dogs being attacked by the bear."

Education And Enforcement

De Ruyter said education should always be the first step in helping people safely recreate in bear country, but he believes enforcement also has an important role.

"I think that Parks Canada did the right thing by charging them," he said. "There needs to be consequences for breaking the rules and potentially compromising the safety of people, pets and wildlife, especially when people are filming their encounters and influencing others."

He added that while many people receive education about wildlife safety, some still choose not to follow the rules.

"In these cases, often enforcement is the only way to make them comply, or even care," he said.

Parks Canada continues to recommend that visitors hike in groups, carry bear spray where it is easily accessible, make noise while travelling through bear habitat, watch for signs of recent bear activity and keep dogs on leash at all times. The agency also recommends leaving dogs at home when hiking or camping in the backcountry because they can trigger aggressive behaviour from wildlife.