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A rare white grizzly bear and her cubs, beloved across social media, were struck and killed following two separate car collisions just 12 hours apart in the Rocky Mountains.
Parks Canada said staff were mourning the “devastating” loss of the bear, affectionately known as Nakoda, and her cubs, who were seen foraging for dandelions by the roadside in May. The nickname means “friend” or “ally” in the language of the Stoney Nakoda nations.
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At 5:15 a.m. on Thursday, Parks Canada said it received a report that two cubs were struck by a car and killed along the Trans-Canada Highway in B.C.’s Yoho National Park.
Parks staff managed to haze Nakoda toward a wildlife fence and had worked to repair it to prevent the bear from returning to the roadway.
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Later that evening, Parks staff witnessed a startled Nakoda run out to the road, where it collided with a car.
“The bear was startled by a train and ran into the road in front of two vehicles. One vehicle was able to swerve and avoid a collision, but a second vehicle was unable to react in time and struck the bear,” Parks Canada told the Calgary Herald.
Nakoda initially survived the car crash, then climbed back over the fence and ran into the woods with a slight limp, Parks staff said.
The bear was confirmed dead by Saturday after a mortality alert from its GPS collar showed no movement over 24 hours.
Nakoda was first spotted in 2020 near Banff, Alta., and was often sighted on the side of the road. The bear, with rare blond fur and a streak of black along its back, had grown comfortable around people and had a knack for climbing wildlife fences.
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Wildlife management began tracking her movements about two years ago and spent hundreds of hours trying to manage her, at times accompanying her “from dawn until dusk,” the agency said.
“It’s actually devastated the team that was so deeply invested in really trying to prevent this outcome,” it added.
Nakoda emerged from her den in Yoho National Park, located about 60 km northwest of Banff, with two cubs in the spring.
The family was seen along the Trans-Canada Highway in late May, at which point Parks Canada introduced a no-stopping zone and 10-km speed reduction.
“Bears will return to areas they know and to areas with high-value habitat. In spring, bears return to the valley bottoms to find food sources,” Parks Canada told the Herald.
“This year, with snow lingering in the high country and the added food stress of feeding her cubs, wildlife specialists believe she returned to familiar and reliable high-value food sources along the road,” said Parks Canada.
Ultimately, Nakoda’s popularity may also have led to her untimely death. She had grown habituated to people due to frequent interactions with passersby.
“Parks Canada is working hard to make roads safer for wildlife and continues to remind visitors of the importance of not stopping to view wildlife,” Parks Canada said.
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