Scared: The previously adventurous creature can be seen in the footage nervously backing away from the traffic clearly overwhelmed by its unfamiliar surroundings
Family: The baby’s mother, flanked by another cub, scoops up the bear in her mouth
Kootenay National Park is located in the Canadian Rockies, and forms part of a World Heritage Site.
The amazing rescue comes less than a week after a black bear was hit and killed along the Trans-Canada Highway in nearby Yoho National Park, prompting a reminder to motorists to watch for wildlife.
Wildlife staff responded to a report from one of their Parks Canada colleagues on May 14 about a dead bear near the Ottertail viewpoint. The creature was an adult.
Phew: Just in ᴛι̇ɱe, the mother bear, pulls her little one over the cement boundary and hauling it to safety
Wow: The unforgettable moment was filmed by tornado hunter Ricky Forbes who was driving when he noticed the black bear sitting dangerously close to the highway and stopped
‘It was very clearly hit by a vehicle,’ Brianna Burley, Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay national parks huɱaп and wildlife conflict specialist told the Calgary Herald.
The collision was not reported, but they found some debris on the highway.
The death of the bear was the first roadway mortality of the year in the mountain parks.
‘It’s an important reminder that spring is here,’ Burley said. ‘Green up is occurring along the roadside. We’re seeing a lot of animals.’
The bears are more prevalent near roads at dawn and dusk, and motorists have been told to watch their speed for their own safety.