By Carol Linnitt

Bear 148 lived most of her life in and near Banff, which is Canada’s busiest national park. She wasn’t afraid of people and she became a local celebrity. By the summer of 2017, wildlife managers responsible for grizzly bears around the Bow Valley were just about fed up with Bear 148. The mild-mannered grizzly had had too many encounters with people in and around Canmore and the parks.

Shot with a tranquilizer and relocated via helicopter 500 kilometres northwest, Bear 148 found herself in a new world, far from her own. That’s when she made the fatal mistake of crossing the border into British Columbia, where trophy hunting was still legal.

Bear 148 was shot and killed. The trophy hunt, the subject of fierce opposition in B.C., was suspended just two months later.

The story of Bear 148, including her relocation and death, have ignited an important debate in Alberta about how human communities interact with and live among wildlife.

Many are asking: how did it come to this? Why did Bear 148 end up in a different province, hundreds of kilometres from her home range?

Others say the grizzly got more than a fair shot to stay alive.

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Featured in this episode:

Marc Breau, Banff resident and photographer

Kevin Van Tighem, former superintendent of Banff National Park and author of “Bears Without Fear”

Undercurrent soundtrack sponsored in part by Approach Media.

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