The Boss is awake. Albertans rushing to catch a glimpse are urged to keep their distance

Now that Banff's infamous grizzly "The Boss" has emerged from hibernation, Albertans are flocking to the mountains to catch a glimpse - and some action shots - of his adventures.

The Boss, officially known as Bear No. 122, has already been spotted dozens of times this spring. Chances are you've already seen re‐ cent photos and videos of him floating around social media.

This is garnering mixed re‐ actions online, and it has bear safety experts caution‐ ing people to keep their dis‐ tance.

Weighing upward of 650 pounds (295 kilograms), The Boss is the most dominant grizzly bear in and around Banff National Park. He's eat‐ en a black bear. He even once brushed off being struck by a train.

After two years of search‐ ing, Tasha Barnett of Bear‐ berry, Alta., finally saw him earlier this week on railway tracks - eating grain that had fallen from a train.

"I don't think I've seen a better looking bear, and I have seen a few bears. It was just an incredible, sobering feeling to see him just doing his thing," said Barnett, who had driven two hours in hopes of spotting him.

But how did she know it was The Boss and not just any other grizzly bear? There are some telltale signs, she said: His massive size, a miss‐ ing chunk of his right ear and his shorter snout.

"There's not a lot of bears that look like him."

WATCH | 'The Boss' spot‐ ted hanging out near train tracks:

Barnett said she was one of about a dozen people parked along the side of the road with their cameras and big lenses, trying to get a good shot.

"The more you see on so‐ cial media, the more it en‐ tices people to want to get out there and have their op‐ portunity because he is a big deal," she said.

Keep your distance, says bear safety expert

Canadian Bear Safety Author‐ ity founder John Clarke was an Alberta Fish and Wildlife officer for 35 years, specializ‐ ing in human-wildlife conflict and bear maulings.

While he didn't work in the Banff area, he's well aware of The Boss, who has become somewhat of a celebrity over the years.

He said that just by ex‐ isting, The Boss is unknow‐ ingly raising awareness about the beauty of Alberta's threatened grizzly bear popu‐ lation.

But with the recent influx of people rushing to Bear No. 122's usual spots, Clarke said his heart goes out to the griz‐ zly.

"What I worry about is that one day, somebody's going to get too close and he's just not going to agree with that space and he might take a run at somebody - and we don't want that," said Clarke.

Last year, a grizzly was killed after attacking and killing two people in Banff National Park.

For the safety of them‐ selves and the bear, Clarke said it's critical that people remain a minimum of 100 metres away from any wildlife.

"Maybe the day before, he got mad at some people be‐ cause they came too close and they pushed his buttons and he's getting more mad. And then today, he bumps in‐ to more people. Now he's even more mad because he remembers what happened yesterday."

Clarke has also seen the comments of people pushing back against those searching for The Boss, saying there's enough content available on‐ line and they should leave the bear alone.

"The general public is watching out for him and other wildlife," he said.

And while Clarke said The Boss is probably habituated to people now, the public needs to remember that bears are apex predators.

"We all have to stick to‐ gether and protect the bear and protect the people and step forward when you see somebody doing something wrong."

Parks Canada bylaws

Clarke said he hopes Parks Canada creates a bylaw to ensure people maintain their distance from bears and oth‐ er wildlife.

He also said anyone head‐ ing to bear country should take a safety course from a credible source.

As for Barnett, she said Parks Canada wardens were monitoring the area on the day she saw The Boss, mak‐ ing sure people were staying inside their vehicles.

"Because he's been in this spot for a while, they had py‐ lons out so [people] aren't stopping on the closer side of the road," said Barnett.

In a statement to CBC News, a Parks Canada spokesperson said it is illegal to feed, entice or disturb any wildlife in a national park un‐ der the Canada National Parks Act.

Violators could face fines up to $25,000.

The agency also encour‐ ages people to make noise, stay in big crowds, carry bear spray, watch for fresh bear signs, keep dogs on a leash, stay on official trails and im‐ mediately leave the area and report to park staff if you come across a large dead an‐ imal.

"To protect this special space, we must give wildlife the space they need to sur‐ vive and thrive."