'Bears and the bare naked': RCMP search for elusive nude man spotted at Kananaskis, Alta., campground

A naked man who has been spotted by campers in Kananaskis Country, Alta.,  several times over the last month has so far been able to evade efforts to find him.

RCMP and Kananaskis Emergency Services have received several calls about a fully nude man around Mount Kidd RV Park, including sightings as recent as July 16 and 23.

“There’s no report he’s been in acts other than being naked but it is a little weird he keeps getting spotted and then runs away,” said RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff.

Officers have stepped up patrols in the area and said they’ve located several shelters they believe the man has set up in the area but haven’t been able to find him.

“He’s illegally camping in the park I guess would be one thing, but the larger concern here is the nudity and potential exposure to that to young people would be my greatest concern,” he said. 

The man is described as being Caucasian, of slim stature possibly with a beard.

Kerri Desa is from Calgary and arrived at the campground Tuesday night with her friends and family to find conservation officers and police.

“Out here you hear about bears so didn’t think anything about it,” she said. “I thought it was kind of a joke, like who runs around naked out here?”

She said she has warned her kids not to venture too far from their site.

“It’s not funny but it kind of is. It’s like, ‘OK, watch for bears and the bare naked out there,” she said.

“But, it is a little disconcerting. This is a family environment and you have to think what’s going (on with) this guy? Does he need some mental health help or is he doing it to be weird?”

Other campers agree, including Victoria Malko who is camping with her kids.

“It’s not necessary for sure and hopefully they do catch him and see what’s going on with the individual and get the help they obviously need,” she said.

One Reddit user posted about their experience running into the man.

“He saw and/or heard us and took off like a deer! Hurdling and moving through the trees like an animal that knew the trails well,” the post reads.

Cpl. Savinkoff said the man could face criminal charges surrounding nudity or indecent exposure but said officers would first like to find and speak to the man.

 “We don’t know if there’s something larger here that may threaten some individuals or it could just be somebody who likes to camp in the woods naked, at this point we just don’t know. It’s hard to draw conclusions until we locate the individual and complete our investigation to determine in the end what they are up to,” he said.

In a statement, Mount Kidd RV Park management says it is “providing as much support as we can to the RCMP to ensure this individual is apprehended.”