Central Alberta’s Bos the bear gets his show biz break
Published 3:05 pm Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Bos may have every right to be a bear and throw his weight around a film set.
But the 472-kilogram kodiak bear from Innisfail’s Discovery Wildlife Park, who made his acting debut this past summer, has none of that Hollywood attitude.
“He is an intact male and he is still the sweetest, most gentle giant. He is a complete ham. He is a comedian,” said Discovery zookeeper Serena Bos about the five-year-old bear she has worked with since he arrived at the wildlife park, a laid-back cub.
Bos was on the set Aug. 4 for the first episode of a new Amazon television series, which could not be named due to a confidentiality agreement. He was also at a film shoot on Sept. 11 for the independent film No Place For A Spark, a dramatic thriller about overcoming the trauma of loss.
Both sets were located on Discovery Wildlife Park property, and now whenever the trailer that was used to transport Bos to a set is pulled out, he is like “put me in coach, put me in,” Serena said.
“To be honest, I think we have created a monster. He thinks film work is the best thing since sliced bread.”
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Bos was previously trained on the actions to perform, but had to be trained on the sequence. Between his two acting gigs, he prepped for 10 days.
During No Place For A Spark, Bos was on the set for an hour where he walked to a certain spot, than walked to second spot where he stopped before moving on to a third spot. He also sniffed the air for the camera, and stood up on his hind legs, stretching 2.4-metres tall. The actors were in his shot, but did not have any contact with Bos.
Serena said the film’s actors were definitely not scared of Bos.
“They were all ecstatic to have him on set. They all took selfies with him.”
No Place For A Spark, by Dark Plains Pictures and director Jason Plett, is about a hiker struggling with the loss of his wife, who crosses paths with a murderous forest fire arsonist.
The film, which stars Dave Marandola, Enayat Ahmady, and Isabella Pedersen, is expected to be released summer/fall 2027.
About 10 people were on the set for No Place For A Spark, but hundreds of people, and more than 20 vehicles were at the location for the Amazon series.
All the bears at Discovery have acted, except for one, which provides the park with supplementary income to continue to be a forever home for wildlife in need.
In 2021, Bos arrived at Discovery with another cub from a facility in the United States that was forced to shut down, and likely could have been euthanized.
Serena said the park only agrees to acting work the animals are sure to enjoy and suits them.
Another benefit of acting is the amazing enrichment it provides the animals, she added.
“Bears are intelligent. They love to learn and they love to have a purpose. They thrive on it,” said Serena, who has worked on over 40 television and film sets, and has been called Canada’s best bear trainer.
Discovery Wildlife Park will be open for the season until Sept. 30, and re-opens next season on May 1, 2027. Light the Night, the park’s annual holiday light festival, will get underway in November, running from Nov. 13 to Jan. 3.
