Lessons from a Grizzly Bear

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort’s Refuge in British Columbia
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Many people prefer to watch wildlife in the wild but what if they knew watching some animals can harm the critters? I set out to meet a grizzly that offered clues on the best way to observe bears.

Boo, a bulky brown grizzly, was born wild but grew up at the Grizzly Bear Refuge at British Columbia’s Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. He lives half-way up the mountain in a fenced refuge among steep ski runs (used only when he’s hibernating) and under a gondola that takes people to 7,700 feet and a view of five national parks.

But on this visit, I had eyes only for bears. I skirted a row of mud-crusted mountain bikes locked up in the resort’s plaza, the haze of wildfire smoke dulling blue skies. The 3,400-acre resort is known for its powder snow in winter, but in summer approximately sixty percent of visitors make their way to the top of Catamount chairlift and the twenty-acre grizzly bear refuge.

I scampered onto the ski-lift bench seat as it lifted off, sweeping me into the air over a wildflower-dotted meadow. The warble of Swainson’s thrushes echoed over the dust clouds kicked up by cyclists careening down gravel trails. Soon, I spotted the canvas yurt that housed the refuge’s visitor centre and dismounted, having reached alpine heights with minimal effort.

My plan was to catch the last tour of the day and hang around for the popular Ranger Assist Program, a behind-the-scenes experience to watch Boo’s end-of-day routine.

Catherine “Cat” Cowan, Grizzly Bear Refuge Manager, stepped forward, her wide smile and alert eyes hinting at a passion for all things bear-related. “Are you here for the tour?” she asked the dozen people gathered near the yurt but trying to avoid the edge of Boo’s enclosure and the bold red sign that declared, “Please don’t stand at this corner”. I’d soon learn this was a favored spot of the bear and people gathering nearby was discouraged.

Boo was orphaned as a cub, his mother poached in the Caribou mountains when he was only five months old, hence the names Boo, and Cari, for his brother. Kicking Horse Mountain Resort offered to take the bears, building a large enclosure similar to wild bear habitat with multiple ponds and native vegetation including thirteen berry species.

Cari never awoke from his first hibernation, a twist of his intestines killing him soon after he went into his winter torpor. “His mother would have shown him how to prepare for winter,” explained Cat. Without a mom, Boo has had to figure out many things on his own.

Cowan and her team help as much as possible, mimicking wild conditions whenever they can. “He’s eating 20,000 calories a day now. As it gets closer to fall, he’ll be eating 50,000 calories a day,” Cowan described, explaining that half Boo would forage from his environment and the other half provided by animal care staff. Boo’s diet changes with the seasons, high fat-food sources helping him bulk up for winter. Although 80% of his diet is vegetarian, he also gets meat, some of it from the wild.

“We get a call from the highway personnel when there’s been a road kill asking if we can clean it up. It helps other animals if we remove the carcass. It keeps other animals from being attracted to the road and risking injury,” disclosed Cowan. While most of Boo’s food is hidden in his enclosure when he’s not looking . . .

. . . it’s not possible to toss a deer carcass over the tall fence. “We will take it up in the gondola and drop it into the enclosure . . .”

. . . Cowan continued, “so if you get into a gondola and it smells like bleach….” She broke into laughter before explaining the care that goes into varying food times and locations to keep Boo’s behavior as natural as possible.

Tossing a cow parsnip through the electrified fence, Cowan distracted Boo while her assistant locked off part of the enclosure to hide evening snacks. “Do any guests throw food through the fence?” I asked, knowing people sometimes feed wild animals.

“Yes,” she replied sternly, “And I saw it happen once.” Incensed that someone had carelessly tossed junk food into Boo’s world, she insisted the person leave, then turned her attention to the bruin. Boo didn’t pounce on the unexpected Door Dash.

“He could sense I was upset,” she explained. “Boo is suspicious of new foods.” Explaining that this bear needs an introduction to diet changes, she explained how she introduced grapefruit into his diet. “First, I peeled a grapefruit in front of him and then I ate it so he knew it was okay to eat,” described Cowan. Perhaps she fulfills part of the teaching role Boo’s mom would have undertaken.

In the case of the errant junk food, Cowen used a recall command that signaled Boo should go to a special part of the enclosure for a highly-desirable food treat. It’s part of his training in case a forest fire or other emergency would require his evacuation, and in this case, allowed Cowan to safely get in the enclosure and remove the offending item.

Having seen other bad behavior of people watching bears – think traffic jams on the side of mountain highways when people risk injury for a close-up of a bear – I wondered if people are better off watching wildlife under supervision.

Cowan feels her refuge offers a better way to see bears. “It’s one of those ways we can share his day-to-day (life). He lets us into his world. On the side of a road (with people stopped), a bear isn’t behaving naturally, not to mention the impact people stopping is making on that bear’s day-to-day life. It’s insane in some areas. When people start to slow down and stop, you’re changing the bears (by human-conditioning them),” she commented ruefully.

Kicking Horse Resort’s care for Boo goes beyond the obvious fencing and feeding. “We’re working to become a whitebark-pine-friendly ski resort,” elaborated Cowan. Whitebark Pine are very important to grizzles and mountain habitats, stabilizing steep slopes at high elevations. The nuts are high energy, helpful for bears adding bulk before winter slumber. Whitebark pine forests have been decimated by mountain pine beetle infestations and scientists are still researching whether climate change will be friend or foe.

I watched Boo snatch an apple hidden in a tree with his long snout, his food supply secure, but those of his wild cousins facing habitat destruction, in jeopardy. I’d had time and proximity to sense this bear’s intelligence and his right to live a bear’s life. As an ambassador for his species, he was getting the message across that respectful interactions, whether with captive or wild bears, is the way forward.

The author travelled to Golden in July 2021. She was a guest of Kicking Horse Resort but they did not review or approve this article. See more articles by Carol Patterson.