The Boss emerges from winter hibernation near Banff

The Boss, one of the Bow Valley's most iconic grizzlies, woke up Friday.

Banff’s most famous bear is awake.

Video of The Boss was captured by Mitch Wilson near Banff around noon on Friday.

The Boss is a male grizzly also known in the Bow Valley as Bear 122.

It’s estimated that The Boss is around 28 or 29 years old and it’s thought that he’s fathered around half the grizzly cubs in Banff National Park.

The Boss is up early this year. In 2025, the first confirmed Boss sighting was around April 7, according to Parks Canada.

The Boss has even become the subject of a children’s book, The Little Grizzly That Walked Like a Boss, by author Victoria Tudor, who’s from Ukraine but now lives in Atlanta.

The bear is well-known in the Bow Valley, spotted strolling through Banff, eating from fruit trees in town or emerging from hibernation every spring.

“He’s a great subject to write a book about because he’s been around humans so much,” said Tudor, in a January, 2026 interview with CTV News.

The fictional tale in the book depicts the celebrity bear at famous sites in Banff, and one image seems to have inspired his travels.

“I think Boss read my book as well. After (my) book came out, he was spotted in Johnston Canyon,” said Tudor.

The goal of Tudor’s book is to inspire humans to respect and protect nature and understand the challenges bears face.

“They have to learn about coexisting with us as much as we need to keep learning how to be safe around them,” said Tudor.

“They’re playing catch-up. We come up with new things; first there’s trains, now self-driving vehicles. It’s not about being aggressive and dominant; it’s about living with confidence, being bear aware and respecting each other’s boundaries.”

The Little Grizzly Who Walked Like a Boss on shelves in Owl’s Nest Bookstore in Calgary,Café Books in Canmore and The Whyte Museum in Banff.

With files from CTV News Calgary’s Alesia Fieldberg