Massive grizzly bear known as 'The Boss' spotted in Canmore area

Massive grizzly bear "The Boss" seemed to have lost his bearings earlier this week.

He was spotted by a local naturephotographerin the Canmore area, much farther east than he's normally known to frequent.

The Boss, officially known as Bear No. 122,was seen Sunday wherephotographer and biologist Jason Leo Bantlelivesin Harvie Heights, a hamlet just northwest of Canmore.

Parks Canada said The Bossisin his mid-20s, and the last time he was capturedheweighed roughly 450 pounds(about 200kilograms).The bearis regarded as possibly the largest in the Banff National Park area, his usual stomping grounds.

The grizzly has been through a lot over the years. He's eaten a rivalblack bearandeven survivedbeingstruck by a train. He's missing a tuft of fur on his face and a chunk of his right ear, but he's still likely the most dominant bear in and around the national park.

Blair Fyten,human wildlife coexistence specialist with Banff National Park, said Parks Canada wardens had to "shepherd" the bear away from Banff on Nov. 1 as it was trying to get into town, likely to find a crabapple tree it fed on last year.

That weekend The Boss was seen in Harvie Heights.Bantle said he saw asocial media post with a photo of The Boss walking in front of his home.

Late Sunday afternoon, The Bossmade his way further east to Canmore, where local peace officers along with theRCMPmonitored the bear as it went through the neighbourhood.

The Town of Canmore said the grizzly didn't appear aggressive and it wasn'taccessing any wildlife attractants.

Eventuallythe bear travelledback west, where it once again passed through Harvie Heights, feastingfor hours, according to Bantle.

Hesaid hewas able to capture a few photos of what he dubbed "the patriarch of the Bow Valley" in his neighbourhood after it madeits way back from Canmore.

Hesaid several residents in his community were able to carefully watch the bruinfrom the safety of their vehicles as The Boss wandered around the hamletforagingfor the bear necessities berries and apples in preparation for hibernation.

"I think everybody was just in awe of this sceneand he didn't seem impacted by us. He was just doing his thing. And I think everyone just wanted to have an experiencewith a legend," Bantle said.

Reflecting on his experiences photographingThe Boss and seeing his imagesafter they've been processed, Bantle saidhe becameemotional.

"When you're in the moment, you're actually kind of lost," he said, adding hecontemplatedhow much longer the grizzly will be a living icon of the Canadian wilderness.

"Just to have been in the presence of such abear and to have such unique momentsit was really overwhelming."

Fyten said The Boss is an older bear that normally spends most of his time west of the Banff townsitein the Lake Louise area andKootenay National Park.

"This is the first time that I'm actually aware that he'sgone to the town of Canmore," Fyten said.

He noted that this time of year is when bears are looking for as much food as possible to bulk up for their hibernation, which is a likely reason The Boss wandered so far.

He said The Boss was probably following the train tracks looking for peas, lentils and the odd animal carcass to feed on.

"Adeer or something that's been hit by the train and has wandered off into the woods and died. And, you know, he comes across that, and that's just a a huge food reward for a bear at this time of the year," Fyten said.

The Boss was guided by Parks Canada wardens away from the town of Banff on Tuesday.

The bear was led toward his usual habitat by wildlife officials while severalvisitors to Banffwatched from afar as the grizzly crossed the road near the Fenlands Recreation Centre.

"[We] got him out to the east side of town and on his merry way. And, you know, we haven't heard or seen of him for a couple days," Fyten said.

Fytenadded that when Parks Canada wardens have to intervene and encourage a bear to stay away from a town such as Banff, they often make lots of noise and shootpaintball guns loaded with compressed chalk.

"That ball breaks into a powder once it hits something. Soyou can hit the ground beside the bear and it kind of helps to direct them as to which way you want them to go," Fyten said, adding that for the most part The Boss is accustomedto being guided away by Parks Canada wardens.

Fyten said it's important for nature enthusiasts who want to catch a glimpse of The Boss or bears like him to stay safe and practise bear safety while out in Canada's mountain parks.

"We encourage people to carry bear spray right through the wintertimebecause it is effective against cougars and elk," he said.

"If you do encounter a bearlet them know you're there and back off and get your bear spray out and be ready with it."

To learn more about bear safety, visit Parks Canada's website.