Two hikers are facing charges after their off-leash dog repeatedly ran toward and barked at a grizzly bear during an encounter in Banff National Park. The incident unfolded on the Taylor Lake trail, about nine miles south-east of Lake Louise, as Washington residents Brook and Kraig Koski backed away from Bear 142, a well-known female grizzly in the park.

Incident Details

Kraig initially encountered the bear while jogging ahead of his wife on the trail. Brook recorded the roughly 90-second video as the bear slowly followed Kraig, who walked backward while facing it and carrying bear spray. Meanwhile, their small dog, Lola, ran freely between the hikers and the grizzly, at times barking at the bear.

The hikers also repeatedly call for Lola, but at no point in the video do they appear to leash the dog or simply pick her up — despite having ample opportunity to do so. Eventually, Bear 142 leaves the trail and disappears into the woods. The encounter fortunately ended without anyone being injured, but Parks Canada wardens were able to identify the hikers after the video was posted online and racked up millions of views.

Consequences and Reactions

The pair now face regulatory charges under the Canada National Parks Act for having an off-leash dog in a national park. Pets are required to be secured on a leash no longer than three meters, and the hikers could face fines of up to $25,000 if convicted. Nick de Ruyter, program director of WildSmart for the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley, praised Parks Canada for filing charges because ‘there was so much time in the video to grab the dog and put it on a leash.’ Keeping a dog leashed in bear country is not an arbitrary rule designed to ruin anyone’s fun. It protects the dog, the wildlife, and every other hiker who may encounter an already-agitated animal farther down the trail.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.