Edmonton bear expert who once tracked celebrity Banff grizzly wins national award

On her first day of work, she was told to drive up to the busy Tunnel Mountain campground near the townsite and block off a road where a female grizzly bear was eating an elk carcass.

Jumping out of her truck, Titchener followed her orders and directed people away from the site when she heard a bang, bang, pop, pop, sound.

The bear was barrelling toward her.

“All of a sudden I see this giant fur ball of like congealing fat just running straight towards me at like 50 km/hr and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I’m about to die and she’s running straight at me and the road,’” said Titchener.

What happened next is a bit of a blur, but it stuck with her.

“I was in love. I was like, ‘This is insane.’”