Daughter of Banff’s Famous “Boss” Bear Loses Cub to Train

A grizzly bear cub from one of Banff National Park’s most recognizable bear families was struck and killed by a train near Protection Mountain on May 17, highlighting the continuing challenge of wildlife mortality along the railway through the park.

Parks Canada said wildlife staff received a report around 8 p.m. that a young grizzly bear had been struck and killed near the Eldon siding, close to Protection Mountain Campground.

The cub was one of two offspring travelling with Grizzly Bear 142, a well-known female bear frequently seen in the Bow Valley and the daughter of Bear 122, also known as The Boss.

“Parks Canada staff responded to the report of the strike and removed the bear’s carcass,” Parks Canada said in a written statement.

The agency said Bear 142 and the remaining cub continued frequenting the area following the collision and were observed “behaving normally.”

Parks Canada temporarily implemented a no-stopping zone along the Bow Valley Parkway while staff monitored the bears.

“The area has seen frequent wildlife viewing activity, including visitors stopping along the roadways, and in some cases, walking on or near railway tracks to view or photograph the animals,” the agency said.

The no-stopping zone was lifted May 19 after Parks Canada determined the bears had moved out of the immediate area. The agency said persistent snowpack across much of the region may have concentrated bears in valley-bottom areas near the railway, where some of the only accessible spring forage remained available.

“With an above average snowpack persisting in most of the region, there is limited habitat for bears to forage,” Parks Canada said. “The rail corridor at the valley bottom provides a convenient way for bears to travel and contains some of the limited vegetation currently available for bears to feed on.”

The agency also said staff investigated the site after the collision and determined there had been “no large grain spill in the area,” one of several attractants historically linked to wildlife activity near rail lines.

According to Parks Canada, 19 grizzly bears have been killed on railways in Banff National Park since 2005.

The collision comes despite years of joint work by Parks Canada and Canadian Pacific Kansas City to reduce wildlife mortality along the railway.

Parks Canada said research conducted with CPKC and university partners has informed the creation and enhancement of roughly 50 kilometres of alternate wildlife travel routes near high-risk sections of railway around Morant’s Curve and Five Mile Bridge.

Additional efforts have included vegetation management, prescribed fire, forest thinning and monitoring wildlife movement with remote cameras.

CPKC said it continues to work with Parks Canada to reduce wildlife attractants along the corridor.

“We work closely with Parks Canada to manage and remove attractants along the tracks through a variety of methods in order to reduce risk of animal strikes, including a joint inspection of the corridor each spring to identify attractants coming out of winter,” said Patrick Waldron, assistant vice-president of communications and media relations for Canadian Pacific Kansas City.

Waldron also pointed to ongoing vegetation management work in the area.

“We focus on mitigation efforts within our existing right-of-way, including investing in targeted vegetation management along our tracks to decrease attractant species close to the railway, support wildlife sightlines and provide room for wildlife to safely exit the tracks,” Waldron said.