World Bear Day: Boo the grizzly bear wakes up from "the big nap" and surprises skiers!

Golden, Canada - In honor of World Bear Day, Boo the bear is making his grand entrance!

Boo the grizzly bear was caught on camera coming out of his winter hibernation.
Boo the grizzly bear was caught on camera coming out of his winter hibernation.  © Collage: Screenshot/Instagram/khgrizzlybearrefuge

Canadian skiers recently experienced a huge shock when a grizzly bear suddenly awoke from hibernation and poked its head through the fresh snow. It turned out the animal, named Boo, is no stranger to the area.

Still rather lethargic and dazed, grizzly bear Boo emerged from the snow in the town of Golden in British Columbia, Canada, after months of rest and relaxation.

The breathtaking moment was captured on video and recently shared on Boo's own Instagram channel, which is run by the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort.

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The 22-year-old bear has been living there in a 30-acre enclosure since 2003, after his mother was illegally shot by a hunter.

Dominique de Vries, team leader at the grizzly bear sanctuary, told the Calgary Herald Boo usually comes out in mid-March and typically stays out from one to a few hours a day: "He still will return to his den. He’s still pretty sleepy and groggy."

She added that changes in temperature and snow conditions usually determine when the animals come out of their dens, and this year it's been particularly warm.

"Boo had sensed the warm weather and decided to come out and enjoy some of the sunshine!" his caretakers wrote under the Instagram post.

"It's good to see you big guy,"

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After all the effort of poking through the snow from his hibernation, Boo looked visibly exhausted, and had to sit down and rest.
After all the effort of poking through the snow from his hibernation, Boo looked visibly exhausted, and had to sit down and rest.  © Collage: Screenshot/Instagram/khgrizzlybearrefuge

The resort warned that Boo was slowly getting used to life above ground again and for visitors to "please avoid stopping to see him" while "he slowly adjusts from the big nap."

"We continue to ask everyone to be quiet when around the refuge and let the big guy adjust with minimal disruption," the resort team wrote in another post.

Kim Titchener, president of Bear Safety & More Inc, is very familiar with Boo and his caretakers and joked that their titles should be "Boo Guardians."

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The researcher studies bear sleep patterns and also emphasized, "With climate change, we are seeing bears emerging from their dens earlier and going to bed later."

Thus, it remains important to keep the safety of grizzly bears in mind, and for the resort to continue to educate fans and visitors, especially hikers, campers, and skiers.

Cover photo: Montage: Screenshot/khgrizzlybearrefuge (2)

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