Two bear cubs belonging to a rare white grizzly known as Bear 178 — or "Nakoda" by the locals — died after a car collision in Canada's Yoho National Park. According to reports, the cubs were struck along the Trans-Canada Highway on June 6. CBC News reported that park authorities received a call about the incident at about 5:15 a.m. When they arrived, they found both cubs dead.
Jason Eastham, a Yoho Park spokesman, explained that they've been monitoring the bears movement along the road after reports of a fence intrusion on June. 5. "They took actions to prevent the [bears] from spending time on the highway, including making repairs to the wildlife fence and hazing the [bears] away from the roadside," he told the outlet.
Eastham added that Nakoda had become known to climb fences and also habituated to humans while spending so much time roadside. However, relocating her and her cubs wasn't an option. "The bears were only spending short periods near the highway and the risk of moving her with her cubs was considered too great," he said.
Additionally, Eastham said that said that Nakoda was hit by a car a day after he cubs. Although the collision injured her, she survived. He added that they do not plan on relocating her.
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Bear 178, aka Nakoda
The white grizzly bear known Nakoda, has been extremely popular since she was first spotted several years ago. Most of the photographs of her were taken in Canada's Banff National Park. Experts say that Nakoda's fur is an incredibly rare sight. However, she's not an albino. Instead, her white fur was caused by a recessive gene.
Nakoda earned her name after the Bow Valley Network had a poll in 2020. After going through hundreds of votes, fans decided on the name "Nakoda." The social media hub said the name means "friend" or "ally" in the native language of the area. The group added that she's up there with other famous bears like Split Lip and The Boss.
Moving forward, authorities say drivers should look out for wildlife and be aware that they exist in the area.
