The white grizzly bear known as Nakoda has become a social media favorite since her first public appearance near Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies in 2020. She is often spotted along the roadside, endearing her to visitors who are captivated by her unusual blonde hair and the black stripe running down her back.
But that fame came at a price, say members of Parks Canada's Regional Wildlife Management Team, who witnessed Nakoda being hit by a vehicle on the Trans-Canada Highway in Yoho National Park in British Columbia on June 6. Nakoda was pronounced dead on Saturday, likely from his injuries, the team said.
Two bear cubs born this winter had been killed by a vehicle on the same highway just hours earlier, according to Parks Canada.
Authorities believe Nakoda has gradually become accustomed to humans since becoming famous on social media, making him less wary of people and highways. Despite efforts by wildlife management officials to keep him away, Nakoda would often come close to the road. Team members, who knew Nakoda as “Bear 178,” began tracking him in 2022, when he learned to scale fences on the side of highways.
Wildlife management teams have captured and removed Nakoda from the side of the road three times since 2022. Also in 2022, Parks Canada implemented no-stop zones and lowered speed limits on parts of the Trans-Canada Highway to discourage drivers from slowing down and photographing Nakoda and other wildlife.
Saundy Stevens, a wildlife management specialist with Parks Canada, said at a press conference Monday that his team is heartbroken by the grizzly bear's death.
“The Parks Canada wildlife management team spent a great deal of time managing Bear 178 – hundreds of man-hours, literally,” she said, adding that work sometimes included being with her from “dawn to dusk.”
“It's rare for a habituated bear to survive,” Stevens said in an interview Tuesday. “Unfortunately, it's quite common.” Stevens noted that the bear's mother was also killed in 2021 after being hit by a car.
At the time of the June 6 incident, wildlife control team members were nearby repairing a specially installed fence to keep bears away from trains when they saw the bear, startled by the sound of the train screeching, jump out of a ditch and into two train cars. They avoided one of the cars, but the second struck the bear.
Officials reported seeing the bear limp over a fence after being mauled, giving them some confidence that it would recover. Officials believe Nakoda died from internal injuries, but due to its remote location an autopsy could not be performed.
Since 2019, 23 bears, including seven grizzly bears, have been killed on rail or roads in Yoho National Park, according to Parks Canada.
Stevens said bears that live near highways often appear on the side of the roads, and bears and other wildlife often become habituated to humans around Alberta's Banff National Park, which attracts about 4 million visitors each year. Stevens advises visitors to view wildlife from a safe distance of 100 meters (about 328 feet).
“We understand that people will come to see the wildlife,” she said, “but there are ways to safely view wildlife that can prevent this from happening.”
