A white grizzly bear known as Nakoda has become a popular social media presence since she first appeared in public near Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies in 2020. Her frequent roadside appearances endeared her to visitors. , who were enchanted by his rare blonde coat and the black stripe running down his back.
But that fame came at a cost, according to members of Parks Canada’s regional wildlife management team, who saw a vehicle crash into Nakoda on the Trans-Canada Highway in Yoho National Park in British Columbia on June 6. He was confirmed dead on Saturday, likely from the injuries he suffered, according to the team.
Her two cubs, born last winter, were hit and killed hours earlier on the same road, Parks Canada said.
Officials believe Nakoda gradually became accustomed to humans since she found fame on social media, making her less cautious around people and roads. She often ventured near roads despite efforts by wildlife management officials to keep her away. Team members, who knew Nakoda as Bear 178, began tracking her in 2022, after she learned to climb the fence next to the road.
Since 2022, the wildlife management team has trapped Nakoda and moved it away from roadsides three times. Also in 2022, Parks Canada instituted a no-stop zone and reduced the speed limit on a section of the Trans-Canada Highway to discourage people from slowing down to photograph her and other wildlife.
Saundi Stevens, wildlife management specialist with Parks Canada, said at a news conference Monday that her team was devastated by the grizzly bear’s death.
“Our Parks Canada wildlife management team has spent a significant amount of time, and I mean hundreds and hundreds of person-hours, managing Bear 178,” he said, adding that the job involved being with her from “the “dawn to dusk” sometimes.
“Habitual bears rarely survive,” Stevens said in an interview Tuesday. “Unfortunately, it is very common.” Ms. Stevens noted that the bear’s mother was also hit and killed by a vehicle in 2021.
At the time of the accident on June 6, members of the wildlife management team were nearby fixing a fence that had been built specifically to prevent the bear from approaching vehicles. Team members saw her startled by the screech of a train, causing her to run out of a ditch and fall onto the road in front of two vehicles. One was able to dodge it, but the second hit the bear.
Staff members reported seeing the grizzly bear climb the fence after being hit and limp away, giving them some confidence that it would recover. They believe Nakoda died from internal injuries, but were unable to perform a necropsy due to his position in the field.
Since 2019, 23 bears, including seven grizzly bears, have died on railway tracks and roads in Yoho National Park, according to Parks Canada.
Ms. Stevens said bears that have roads in their range often venture to the sides of the roads. It’s also common, she said, for bears and other wildlife to habituate to humans in the area around Banff National Park in Alberta, which receives about four million visitors each year. She encourages visitors to observe wildlife from a safe distance of 100 meters, or approximately 328 feet.
“We recognize that people come to see wildlife,” he said, “but there are safe ways to view wildlife to avoid that.”