Kicking Horse is a world renown ski resort located along British Columbia’s legendary Powder Highway in the charming town of Golden. Kicking Horse is widely acclaimed for its expert terrain and authentic mountain town atmosphere but skiers and snowboarders may not realize that it is also home to North America’s largest enclosed and protected mountainside grizzly habitat.
During the ski season Kicking Horse’s resident grizzly bear named Boo goes largely unseen as it hibernates under the gondola but come springtime Boo emerges and guests can observe the adult grizzly’s daily activities in it’s 20-acre enclosed habitat.
Boo gets about half its daily calorie intake by foraging vegetation and other life within his habitat including horsetails, roots, sedges, dandelions, and grasses. The other half of his diet consists of supplemental food delivered by the wildlife professionals in charge of his welfare. There are a variety of delivery methods to get Boo his snacks but by far the most entertaining is dropping them from the gondola that passes over his enclosure:
“Using harnesses, we are able to safely open the doors and drop food throughout his enclosure. Boo is able to naturally forage for up to half of his daily nutrient needs. However, a large bruin like Boo can cover almost as much as 1400 square kilometers in this region, and although Boo has a large home, he is not going to get the full caloric intake of what he needs on a daily basis from his habitat alone. In order to ensure Boo is getting what he needs, we boost his diet with extra calories. Spreading out the food provides Boo with more enrichment as he has to use his senses to locate the food. This form of delivery also allows us to drop in bigger food items such as the odd animal carcass, typically provided from local roadkill!”
This year Boo woke from his hibernation on March 20th and has spent his days inspecting his surroundings and scent marking to reestablish his territory. Boo’s scent-marking behaviors include rubbing against trees, biting bark, urinating, and defecating to spread scent. This scent marking behavior is a vital way for bears to communicate with other bears and wildlife. Learn more about Kicking Horse’s grizzly bear refuge below.
Kicking Horse Grizzly Bear Refuge:
One thing that sets Kicking Horse Mountain Resort apart from all other ski resorts is the Kicking Horse Grizzly Bear Refuge. The 20-acre area is the home of our resident grizzly bear, Boo. Boo hunts, plays, forages and explores within this natural mountainside habitat just like his wild cousins.
The interpretive centre is open daily during the summer and provides guests with the opportunity to observe an adult grizzly bear going about his daily routine. Everyone who comes to visit Boo is fascinated by his strength, agility, intelligence, and personality.
If you don’t see Boo during your initial visit, you can return for another free tour. All of our visitors agree that sighting Boo the Grizzly Bear in his natural habitat is a truly unique experience and one they will never forget!
