{"id":516903,"date":"2026-04-07T02:41:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T02:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/516903\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T02:41:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T02:41:12","slug":"renowned-grizzly-bear-the-boss-comes-out-of-hibernation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/516903\/","title":{"rendered":"Renowned Grizzly Bear ‘The Boss’ Comes Out of Hibernation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"bear\"The Boss, photographed a few years ago by Jason Leo Bantle<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Grizzly bears are arguably the most iconic animals in North America, and perhaps the most famous individual living right now is known simply as \u2018The Boss\u2019, who lives near Banff, Canada. <\/p>\n

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\u2019s big news not just in Bow Valley, but across the world, as The Boss has become something of a legend. <\/p>\n

The 700-pound grizzly bear is 28-years-old, while bears are known to live until they are 30, most simply don\u2019t make it anywhere near that age because of human activity \u2014 the average age bears live to is 10-years-old. <\/p>\n

Bantle tells CBC News<\/a> that The Boss has lived a life that few bears get to live. \u201cWe\u2019re all so grateful that he made another winter sleep,\u201d Bantle says. \u201cIt\u2019s always a little bit worrisome given that he\u2019s 28-years-old, and at that age can struggle a bit to find food. We\u2019re always worried: will he be healthy enough to go through that big sleep?\u201d But Bantle adds that The Boss is looking great. <\/p>\n

The Boss gets his nickname from being the dominant male in the area. It\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe 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,\u201d Bantle told PetaPixel<\/a> a few years ago.<\/p>\n

Bantle characterizes The Boss as an \u201celder,\u201d who has earned the respect of everyone in Bow Valley. The enormous bear can be recognized by a chunk of his right ear that\u2019s missing; it used to have a tag in it. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe 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,\u201d Bantle told PetaPixel. <\/p>\n

\"wideJason Leo Bantle<\/a> <\/p>\n

The photographer says Albertans are fond of The Boss, and despite being a formidable bear, \u201che\u2019s also a guy who hasn\u2019t created too much trouble for anyone,\u201d he tells the Calgary Herald<\/a>. \u201cHe hasn\u2019t destroyed any human property or done anything bad with humans for the most part. As long as we respect him, I think he\u2019ll continue to just leave us alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs much as he\u2019s our beloved Canadian bear, he can be a very dangerous animal in a split second,\u201d he adds. <\/p>\n