Video: Grizzly Bear and Cub Narrowly Avoid Train in Banff

A grizzly bear cub and its mother narrowly avoided being struck by a train in Banff National Park this week, a dramatic encounter that underscores the continuing risks wildlife face along one of the park's most persistent mortality hotspots.

The incident was captured on video by wildlife photographer Sadra Semnani Rahbar and shared on social media Wednesday. The footage shows a young grizzly bear standing on railway tracks while its mother feeds on dandelions nearby. As a train approaches with its horn sounding, both animals suddenly move off the tracks and retreat toward the forest moments before the train passes.

"It was a close call, but they dodged the train," Rahbar wrote in the video's description.

While the bears escaped unharmed, the footage comes less than three weeks after a grizzly cub from one of Banff's best-known bear families was killed by a train near Protection Mountain.

That cub was one of two offspring travelling with Grizzly Bear 142, the daughter of the famous Bear 122, often referred to as "The Boss." Parks Canada reported the cub was struck and killed near the Eldon siding area on May 17, renewing concerns about wildlife mortality along the railway corridor that runs through the heart of the national park.

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

The railway presents a unique challenge for wildlife managers because it can simultaneously attract bears while exposing them to significant danger.

In spring, rail corridors often become some of the first snow-free areas available for forage. Dandelions, grasses and other vegetation emerge earlier along the tracks, drawing bears into valley-bottom habitats where trains regularly pass. Parks Canada noted after last month's fatality that persistent snowpack at higher elevations had concentrated bears near the railway because alternative feeding areas remained buried under snow.

Research published earlier this year suggests the problem extends beyond seasonal food availability.

A study examining two decades of GPS data from more than 100 grizzly bears across the southern Canadian Rockies found that human development is increasingly restricting how bears move across the landscape. The research showed bears are often drawn toward roads and transportation corridors because vegetation tends to be more abundant in disturbed areas, creating what researchers describe as an "ecological trap."

In essence, the same features that provide food can also expose bears to greater risks, including vehicle and train collisions.

The study found that highways, towns and other forms of development are increasingly fragmenting bear habitat, funneling animals into narrower movement corridors. Railways can become attractive travel routes because they offer relatively easy passage through valley bottoms compared with surrounding forests and rugged terrain.

Parks Canada and Canadian Pacific Kansas City have spent years trying to reduce wildlife mortality along the rail corridor. Efforts have included vegetation management, prescribed burns, forest thinning and the creation of approximately 50 kilometres of alternative wildlife travel routes in areas identified as high risk.

The railway operator also conducts annual inspections with Parks Canada to identify potential wildlife attractants and remove them where possible.

Despite those efforts, wildlife collisions continue to occur.

The latest video serves as a reminder of how quickly a routine feeding opportunity can become dangerous. For a few tense seconds, the cub appeared unaware of the approaching train. This time, both bears moved away in time.

Not every encounter ends that way.