Banff grizzly bear filmed catching and feeding on fish

A grizzly bear's week-long fishing trip was captured in a new video by Parks Canada staff.

Conservation officers filmed the female grizzly bear, known as Bear 148, just outside the Banff townsite. The video was recently published on YouTube.

"Unlike the great coastal salmon-bearing streams that provide a significant food source for grizzly bears, the occurrence is rare in the land-locked mountain national parks. That's what makes this small pond full of spawning suckerfish so valuable," explained Parks Canada staff. 

"The bounty benefits others too; smaller carnivores, raptors, and scavengers were drawn to the smell of fish and the scraps left behind."

• High bear activity forces trail closures in Banff, Lake Louise

Earlier this month, Parks Canada closed the Vermilion Lakes area and Legacy trail due to a bear feeding on fish.

"After a week, bellies were full, spawning was complete and rising water levels allowed the fish to disperse. We lifted the closure once grizzly Bear 148 moved on to more traditional food sources in the area, including freshly emerging grasses and sedges in meadows and along streams and rivers."