Parks Canada says charges have been laid against two hikers who, along with their off-leash dog, encountered a grizzly bear in Banff National Park on Sunday, July 19.
The video of the encounter on Taylor Lake trail shows two people, one visible on camera and one recording, backing up along a trail as the grizzly follows closely.
Washington State resident Brook Koski told Storyful that her husband, Kraig, initially encountered the bear on his own while jogging ahead of Brook on the trail.
The footage, filmed by Brook, shows the bear slowly following Kraig as he walked away backwards, facing the bear, along with their dog Lola.
In the video, Kraig is heard yelling, “Back off!”
Brook, who was shooting the footage, yells, “You’re too close!”
Their dog, Lola, runs back and forth between the them, at times barking at the bear.
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The video ends with the hikers still backing away from the grizzly as it runs away off the trail.
Bear 142 is seen with her cubs at Banff National Park in an undated handout photo.
Video of the encounter was posted to Instagram, and Parks Canada wardens were able to identify the people involved.
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The regulatory charges under the Canada National Parks Act are for having an off-leash dog in a national park.
Parks Canada says bears and other wildlife may react aggressively toward dogs they view as threats, resulting in injury or death.
It says the bear in the video has been identified as Bear 142, a tagged female grizzly.
“Off-leash dogs can also cause wildlife stress, leading to them avoiding important habitat and sources of food,” Parks Canada said in a statement.
“Always keep your pets on leash when visiting national parks.”
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— With files from Karen Bartko, Global News
Your dog should have been on a leash and YOU should have backed off and walked away….it wasn’t charging you. And guess what? That’s his/Her home…not yours…idiots 🙄
Anyone in the parks must be held accountable for their pets off leash ! Fines need to be higher than present day. Maybe , just maybe people will learn , our wildlife are top priority period.
Too bad they didn’t get killed
Every bear expert will tell you that dogs off leash in bear country is a recipe for disaster. Some dog owners learn the hard way. Glad the hikers were charged.
The bear was after the dog , good thing he was off leash
What in heaven’s name were they thinking? They’re hikers, so they know the rules and LAWS! They are so lucky nothing worse happened. Entirely their own fault, if it had happened.
They should have to do more than just pay a fine. Ban them from the park for several years idiots like this feel they are above following rules which are in place for a reason.
two a holes!! its great they got charged ! next time pull out the phone when they are dropping a load. stick that on youtube
That little dog looks like it might have made a great snack for the bear. They were lucky it didn’t incite the bear to attack.
Stop feeding hikers to bears. They should not eat so much junk food.
Global can shove their censorship
Stupid people going into a park full of bears with a dog off leash..looking for a confrontation…. cell phone on ! Again stupid people….
I think Danielle might call another referendum on whether it’s smart to have your pets around grizzlies.
Some idiots aren’t sure.
“Tom” is nuts. Probably a city slicker as he knows nothing at all about bears or dogs.
Once Alberta is independent, there will be no rules or regulations about what you can do in their parks, and the bears will all be friendly.
But homeless addicts living in parks and harassing people is fine! Elbows up
If the rule is to leash your dog, then follow it. They didn’t so they deserved the fine. @ J.P your comment is spot on.
Are you (parks Canada) out of your frigging minds. Charging this couple with an off leash dog after encountering a grizzly. The barking and running around of the dog most likely kept the bear at at a distance.
Boring, rather read that bear ate all three of them
Parks Canada should send a few officers to Whistler for a week! Probably generate some revenue there pretty quickly!
NEVER PRESENT YOUR BACK TO A BEAR, OR BIG CAT!!!
Perhaps you may find that it’s a good time for you, and your partner, to begin carrying bear spray, and possibly some bear bangers, if they are permitted in your area. Ultimately remember this; you are the visitor in this situation. You are the intruder. Not the bear. Don’t be surprised if they react, and treat you this way. So smarten up, and prepare accordingly. You never know, you just might save a life, and that life just might be your own!
Left out of the story is that the hikers are two Americans vacationing in Canada. And yes they deserved the fine.
Sorry
You will have to look somewhere else for the attention you so desperately crave
Dave – Don’t take it out on a defenceless animal because humans are stupid. You are no better at making threats to do god knows what to a dog or cat on your property. What I will tell you is if I knew you harmed an animal, you sir would be the one not going home.
Good. Sick of dog owners ignoring the rules.
Same with at local parks
CAN U SAY D U M B A S S’S ENOUGH TIMES ???
the bear was not too close, YOU were too close
Good
Keep your dog leashed and your cat indoors
They come on my property they.wont be coming home
Good.
Anonymous is confused. It should be a hefty fine, and there should be a ban against them attending Canada parks. This is very serious. A bear was recently killed because someone thought bringing a dog into the wild would be fun. The bear attacked in self defence and the jogger was hurt. They could have been killed.
A waste would be letting the criminal get away with it, without people learning something. – hope you learned something.
Of course they did. Maybe there’s a hate crime charge in there somewhere, too.
Dumbest charge I’ve ever heard of. What a waste of court time.