Ali Oop, whose portrayal of Miz the Bear in the 1999 film “Grizzly Falls” revealed to the world what a loveable and gentle animal he was, has died.  He was 27.

He died Thursday (July 17, 2008) at Discovery Wildlife Park in Innisfail, AB after succumbing to complications due to old age.  His Mum and trainer, Ruth Labarge, was at his side the whole time.

Ali Oop or Oop, as he was called by those that knew him, will live on through his many films and in the hearts of the thousands of people that got the chance to meet him.  Oop played roles in; Dr. Dolittle 2, Wild America, The last Trapper, Trueheart, and a number of TV commercials.  However it is the work he did in Grizzly Falls alongside 12 year old Daniel Clark that will forever be his signature role.
Ali Oop grabbed headlines across the world in the summer of 2005 as “The Kissing Bear”.  Young and old alike took away lifelong memories after having the chance to lock lips with this handsome movie star and have their photo taken.  The story broke as animal activists called it “Dangerous.”  But this opportunity was only presented to people after they had attended a presentation by Labarge on bear safety and learning how humans can unknowingly train bears behaviors when sharing space with them either in captivity or in the wild.  It was Ali Oop’s amazing personality that made this opportunity safe for people as, in over 40 years of animal training, Labarge has never seen another bear display the same traits as Ali Oop.  The story made Ali Oop known worldwide and visitors from many different countries came to Innisfail to meet this famous bear.  He was instrumental in educating people, while touching their hearts, about the plight of bears in today's world.  His work will live on forever through the enlightenment that he shared with everyone who met him. 

Ali Oop adored people and was always checking out the crowds of people, even if it was his day off from the Bear Presentation.  People were drawn to Oop, he was easy going and a gentle giant. He interacted with people with such charisma and charm it was impossible not to fall for him.

Ali Oop is survived by his Mother/Trainer, Ruth Labarge, Ruth’s two daughters Tammy and Shelley, his care giver Otto Kendall, his brothers - Barney, Whopper and Bonkers and sisters - Ursula, and Betty.

Ali Oop, a magnificent, fully grown adult male kodiak weighed 1400 lbs and stood over 8 feet tall.

Ali Oop starred in the feature films "Grizzly Falls" and "True Heart," also appeared in "Wild America,", "Treasure Of The Bear,", "Dr. Dolittle 2," ”The Last Trapper” and many commercials and advertisements. He was well-suited to play "the bad guy" or "the good guy!.

A special thank you to Otto Kendall for his many years of hard work assisting with the care of Ali Oop and to the compassionate and professional team of veterinarians that cared for him at the end.