World's toughest bear 'The Boss' survived being hit by train and fathered 70% of cubs in his region
A whopping 600lb male grizzly bear roaming around a national park in Canada has earned himself the nickname The Boss due to his impressive size and reputation.
The massive grizzly is thought to be around 20 years old and is widely believed to be the biggest and toughest bear in the whole of Banff National Park.
The Boss, who is officially named the slightly less impressive Bear 122, has also been known to kill and cannibalise smaller bears and - as you may imagine - comes with a strong warning for humans to keep away.
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Back in 2013, a group of hikers came across The Boss tucking into the carcass of an animal - prompting the trail to be closed off for safety.
When it was reopened later on, after the bear had shuffled off, officials found the remains of a small black bear that had been eaten by the much larger one. Steve Michel, a human-wildlife conflict specialist with Banff National Park told The National Post: "It had been completely consumed.
"There was nothing remaining other than a skull, a hide, the four paws and some bones."
He added: “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 went on to say that it was likely the small bear wasn’t able to put up much of a fight against The Boss due to their size difference.
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.”
Michel went on to point out that The Boss is ‘definitely the dominant animal out on the landscape’ so there aren’t many animals who would be able to take him on.
Experts also reckon that The Boss could have fathered up to 70 percent of the cubs born in the park over the years and there’s even a rumour he was hit by a train and escaped relatively unscathed.
The Boss has become somewhat of a celebrity in the area, with one expert noting that he’s ‘seen enough to be recognised’.
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.”
Topics: World News, Animals
Claire Reid