A pair of hikers with an off-leash dog were charged after coming close to a well-known grizzly bear on a popular hiking trail in Banff National Park.
Parks Canada charged them after a social media video on TikTok generated several million views since being posted July 21. The video, recorded by a woman, shows a man with bear spray and a small off-leash dog running between the two of them as grizzly bear No. 142 walks toward them on the trail.
James Eastham, a spokesperson for Parks Canada’s Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay field unit, said an investigation by park wardens led to charges since the dog was off-leash.
“Failure to keep your pets leashed in the national parks poses risks to pets and wildlife,” he said in an email. “Bears and other wildlife may react aggressively toward dogs they view as threats, resulting in their injury or death.”
The law says people have to keep their pets on a leash of three metres or less in national parks. If found guilty, the two could face a fine of up to $25,000.
2 hikers and dog encounter grizzly bear in Banff National Park
The incident took place on Taylor Lake trail, about 15 kilometres southeast of Lake Louise.
CBC reached out to the two people charged, but didn’t hear back before publishing the story.
In the roughly 90-second video, the man is heard yelling at bear 142 to “back off” and “get out of here” several times.
Bear 142 walks along the trail until she moves into the woods at the end of the video.
Nick de Ruyter, program director of WildSmart for the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley, said it was good the pair had bear spray, but the focus should be on the animal rather than filming.
“The safety of them, their pets and other people is far more important than getting that video,” he said.
He praised Parks Canada for moving ahead with charges since “there was so much time in the video to grab the dog and put it on a leash.”
De Ruyter focuses on public education, but “after that, there needs to be some type of enforcement.”
“It’s not just ‘I’m going to take a quick selfie.’ There are consequences to those actions, and it will affect the wildlife.”
Parks Canada advises people encountering wildlife in the national park can happen at any time.
It recommends people make noise to avoid surprising wildlife, watch for signs such as tracks and scat, travel in larger groups, keep a distance from animals, and carry bear spray.
“Off-leash dogs can also cause wildlife stress, leading to them avoiding important habitats and sources of food,” Eastham said. “Always keep your pets on leash when visiting national parks.”
Bear 142 is one of Banff’s most famous grizzly bears.
The female grizzly is the daughter of bear 122 — also known as The Boss — and is estimated to be about 16 years old.
She has had several cubs in the national park. In 2020, bear 136 — known as Split Lip — killed and ate one of her cubs.
Bear 142 lost another cub earlier this year when it was hit and killed by a train near Protection Mountain campground close to the Bow Valley Parkway.
According to an access to information document obtained by CBC, it’s believed there were about 71 grizzly bears in Banff National Park between 2021 and 2023.
They’re a threatened species in Alberta, and the federal government considers them a species of special concern.
