More than four million people visited Banff National Park between April 1, 2017, and April 1, 2018. The number of visitors to the park, one of Canada’s most popular, has been steadily growing year after year.

Some of those guests might have been lucky enough to spot a docile grizzly bear, named Bear 148, snacking on dandelions or goose eggs.

It was a part of Bear 148’s reality that during her six years of life she’d need to become accustomed to humans and their cars and cameras. Banff National Park is huge but much of its terrain is mountainous, covered up with rocks and ice.

The lush valley bottoms are where bears — and people — prefer to be.

In the summer of 2017, Bear 148 followed the valley’s ripe buffalo berries right into the town of Canmore, about 20 kilometres outside of the park.

When she crossed that park boundary, it changed everything. Wildlife managers inside the offices of Parks Canada and Alberta Environment began to think about intervening.

“She’s in the park [and] they’re protecting her,” wildlife photographer Stacy Sartoretto said.

“And then … she walks into Canmore and all of a sudden she’s public enemy number one.”

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Featured in this episode:

Stacey Sartoretto, Banff resident and founder of the Bear #148 appreciation group

Kim Titchener, founder of Bear Safety & More, a company that provides industry with bear safety training

Bill Snow, consultation manager with the Stoney Nakoda Nation

Colleen Campbell, artist

 

Undercurrent soundtrack sponsored in part by Approach Media.