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Alberta parks ranger behind 'bear rub' video retires after 36 years in the woods

The Alberta Parks conservationist and ranger who produced the viral video of grizzlies scratching their backs on trees in Kananaskis Country, has retired.

During his 36 years in the woods, Glenn Naylor had many encounters with wild animals.

There were bears, cougars, elk, moose, big horn sheep — and one seriously aggressive owl.

"All of a sudden it felt like someone hit me on the back of the head with a baseball bat," he said.

The year was 1986, and Naylor was out cross-country skiing one evening after work, in the dark, on Pocaterra Trail in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park.

"There was blood streaming down my face," he said.

Luckily, the bird of prey only left him with a few minor scratches.

But what Naylor found when he returned to the scene of the crime the next day — still haunts him.

"My hat was underneath a big spruce tree with all these big owl prints all around it, and the owl had been picking my hat to pieces."

The story made news headlines around the globe.

"They were making fun of me on CBC, on the news, on the weather on all the different stations," said Naylor.

"I guess a park ranger being attacked by an owl was a novel thing."

Over the years, Naylor figures he spent thousands of hours by himself in the backcountry.

"I used to ski race, so I kept track of how many kilometres I skied. One winter I skied 1,500 kilometres!"

Naylor says although Kananaskis has developed a lot over the years, it's a place Albertans should not take for granted.

"It's definitely a place you can still come and see the wild. It's not changed."