Meet ‘Bear 122' — The Indestructible Grizzly Who Survived A Train Collision And Killed His Rivals

Forbes

12-04-2025

Tracked by scientists, feared by rivals and undeterred by trains, Bear 122 may be Banff's most ... More legendary survivor. Here is his story.
In Banff National Park, grizzly bears are a fact of life and a symbol of wilderness. But one bear stands alone in both legend and data.
Officially, he's Bear 122. Locally, he's known as 'The Boss' — a grizzly who has outlived rivals, shrugged off a collision with a train and fathered a significant slice of Banff's grizzly population.
In a place where wilderness and human life regularly collide, The Boss is an icon who stands above everything else.
By grizzly standards, The Boss is colossal. Weighing in anywhere between 600 and 700 pounds (270 to 320 kilograms), he dwarfs most of his kind.
Unlike many grizzlies who avoid developed corridors, he actively navigates them. During a GPS collaring study, researchers tracked him across a home range of over 2,500 square kilometers — an area that cuts through Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks.
The Boss has been spotted staking out highways, train tracks and post-wildfire zones flush with berries. He knows where the calories are — and when to find them.
Dominance, however, isn't just about size or movement. Genetic sampling has confirmed that Bear 122 is the father of at least five young bears in the region, including cubs from Banff's two most famous females, Bears 64 and 72. The actual count may be higher.
And when rivals encroach, he's been anything but forgiving. In 2013, park officials found the remains of a black bear stripped to bones and paws while Bear 122 was still feeding at the site. Grizzlies tend to be opportunistic, but investigators concluded this wasn't scavenging. The black bear likely stumbled into the wrong place at the wrong time — and never left.
Several years ago, Bear 122 was hit by a train near the Vermilion Lakes. For most bears, that would be a death sentence. But not this one.
Not only did he survive, he returned to the tracks. Because they offer what few other places in the Rockies can — easy calories from spilled grain and the occasional animal carcass.
His comfort near human infrastructure has allowed researchers to study him more closely than most bears in the park. Over time, his movements revealed something critical — he uses both railways and highways as travel corridors, exploiting their edges for food.
To reduce train-related bear deaths, Parks Canada and Canadian Pacific Railway launched a five-year study using GPS collar data, beginning with The Boss himself. It wasn't just to understand him — it was to learn how to prevent others from following his tracks toward danger.
Now believed to be in his mid-to-late 20s — ancient by wild grizzly standards — Bear 122 is showing signs of wear. In recent years, he's been spotted with injuries to his face and hind legs, likely from battles with younger males such as Bear 136, also known as 'Split Lip.' These younger bears are now strong enough to contest territory, mates and kills.
Grizzly bears sparring at Hallo Bay in Katmai National Park. Male grizzly bears often engage in ... More playful sparring matches (though they can sometimes turn ugly), especially in spring and early summer, to practice fighting skills and establish dominance without serious injury.
That said, The Boss isn't backing down entirely. As recently as last week, he was still seen patrolling his usual routes. He remains one of the last grizzlies out of hibernation in winter and the first to emerge in spring — a seasonal alarm clock with a bite.
But he's also ventured into new territory. In 2024, he was seen roaming Canmore for the first time, pawing at fruit trees in backyards. His nose, it seems, remembers old rewards. And while he's never shown aggression toward people, this closer proximity has raised concern. Not about his behavior — but about ours.
For now, Bear 122 continues to move with purpose across his shrinking wild world, navigating highways, trails and towns with the kind of measured calculation only decades of survival can teach. Whether he's feasting on elk near a tourist trail or dodging trains for spilled barley, he remains a living relic — part monarch, part myth.
Stories like those of Bear 122 might sound impressive to some, but terrifying to others. How do you feel when you think of a grizzly like this prowling the forests? Take this science-backed test to see where you stand on the Fear of Animals Scale.