Huge 272kg grizzly ‘The Boss’ survived being ‘hit by train’ and ‘eats other bears’

The impressive beast, also known as Bear 122, is around 20 years old and is thought to be one of the largest bears in Banff National Park, located in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains.

‘The Boss’ has even reportedly been hit by at least one train in his short life and still travels a territory of 1538km along train tracks.

He has also been known to kill and eat smaller bears, and on one occasion in 2013, a group of hikers came across The Boss feasting on an animal carcass, which led to the trail being closed off due to safety fears.

It was later reported that he had tucked into the remains of a small black bear.

Steve Michel, a human-wildlife conflict specialist with Banff National Park, told The National Post at the time: “It had been completely consumed.

“There was nothing remaining other than a skull, a hide, the four paws and some bones. There were indications the black bear was foraging on the trail at the time.

“It looks like that black bear just happened to find himself in the wrong place at the wrong time when a very large grizzly bear came by.”

Michel added that it was likely the small bear wasn’t able to put up much of a fight against The Boss, who is “definitely the dominant animal out on the landscape” and far bigger in size.

He said: “This is grizzly bear number 122, so he’s a very large grizzly bear. I don’t think there would have been much of a brawl that took place. It would have been fairly quick.”

Experts believe that The Boss, may have fathered up to 70pc of the cubs born in the park over the past few years.

The grizzly has also gained celebrity status in the area and is “seen enough to be recognised” as the most dominant bear in Banff.

Dan Rafla, a human-wildlife coexistence specialist with Parks Canada, told The Culture Trip: “He’s the boss of this landscape.

“He’s the most dominant male grizzly in the Bow Valley… and there’s nothing else in the food chain that could push him off.”