Renowned Grizzly Bear ‘The Boss’ Comes Out of Hibernation

The Boss, photographed a few years ago by Jason Leo Bantle.

Grizzly bears are arguably the most iconic animals in North America, and perhaps the most famous individual living right now is known simply as ‘The Boss’, who lives near Banff, Canada.

The Boss, whose government name is Bear 122, woke from hibernation about a week and a half ago, as confirmed by wildlife photographer Jason Leo Bantle. It’s big news not just in Bow Valley, but across the world, as The Boss has become something of a legend.

The 700-pound grizzly bear is 28-years-old, while bears are known to live until they are 30, most simply don’t make it anywhere near that age because of human activity — the average age bears live to is 10-years-old.

Bantle tells CBC News that The Boss has lived a life that few bears get to live. “We’re all so grateful that he made another winter sleep,” Bantle says. “It’s always a little bit worrisome given that he’s 28-years-old, and at that age can struggle a bit to find food. We’re always worried: will he be healthy enough to go through that big sleep?” But Bantle adds that The Boss is looking great.

The Boss gets his nickname from being the dominant male in the area. It’s thought that he has fathered over half of all cubs in the Bow Valley area; he has a reputation for fighting rivals, and he has even been hit by a train and survived.

“He is legendary here, given his history of having eaten a black bear one year before he went into hibernation, he dug it out of its den,” Bantle told PetaPixel a few years ago.

Bantle characterizes The Boss as an “elder,” who has earned the respect of everyone in Bow Valley. The enormous bear can be recognized by a chunk of his right ear that’s missing; it used to have a tag in it.

“He spends a large amount of his time along the train tracks foraging for grains spilled from the railcars and foraging off other animals that may have been struck and killed by trains,” Bantle told PetaPixel.

Jason Leo Bantle

The photographer says Albertans are fond of The Boss, and despite being a formidable bear, “he’s also a guy who hasn’t created too much trouble for anyone,” he tells the Calgary Herald. “He hasn’t destroyed any human property or done anything bad with humans for the most part. As long as we respect him, I think he’ll continue to just leave us alone.”

Despite his benign reputation, Bantle urges photographers to use a very long lens for The Boss, and reminds everyone that they should always keep a good distance from bears.

“As much as he’s our beloved Canadian bear, he can be a very dangerous animal in a split second,” he adds.