Respect the Bear

Bears capture our imagination. They look cute and fuzzy and harmless, meandering slowly through the woods. What people almost always forget is that they aren't harmless at all. What is it about people that makes them loose all common sense when they enter the forest?

I was in Waterton Lakes National Park on Friday (just across the border into Canada from Glacier National Park) when I spotted a beautiful grizzly poking through the forest. She stopped now and again to dig in the fallen trees, I assume looking for grubs, roots or seeds to munch on. She seemed pretty mellow so I decided to approach for a few photos. I wasn't the only one. A young girl (teenager) was VERY excited and ran ahead into the woods, making a racket and darting back and forth looking for a good vantage point to get a photograph. Her mother occasionally yelled at her to move back. Mom was apparently keeping an eye out for the mother bear to appear and would warn her daughter to run if there was any sign of the 'cubs' mother. I hated to break it to them but lucky for us, this bear was NOT a cub. Interior grizzly bears are much smaller than the coastal bears but I'd hazard to guess this was still around a 350 - 400 pound bear! Not even close to being a cub.

To the girls credit when I pointed out DON'T RUN! She stopped... she slowed down and moved with purpose and the bear immediately calmed and went back to foraging. A little while later we were joined by a grandfather with two young girls - approximately 6 & 9 years old. They did not stop running... I watched the bear, looking for signs of aggression. At one point she began to pop her jaw and stare straight at the teenage girl... that was about the time the girls mother had had enough and said "Get back in the car RIGHT NOW!"

A group of hikers appeared approximately 500 feet away. They had no idea the bear was there. 10 minutes earlier the bear had stood up, stared in the direction of the hikers, thoroughly sniffed the air and dismissed them as non-threatening. She knew they were there all along.

It's so easy for these animals to hide from humans. The forest is their home and most of the time - we never know the half of what is watching us in the woods. Since we are the interlopers it's OUR responsibility to know the rules for our own safety AND the bears.

A few tips:

• Bears don't like to be surprised... Do you? Making noise while you are hiking will let the bear know you are there and give them ample time to move off to a comfortable distance. Bells, whistles, singing, talking will all do the trick.
• Stay on marked trails. It's easier to stumble onto and surprise a bear if you are hiking cross country.
• Hike in a group. Statistically attacks by bears are reduced exponentially by group size.
• Bear are more active at dusk and dawn. Be aware.

If you encounter a bear:

• Make certain the bear knows you are there. Talk in a normal voice and move steadily away from the bear.

Watch the behavior!

• If the bear looks at you and continues about his business... terrific! Enjoy the encounter.
  
• If the bear looks worried... jaw popping, grumbling, shaking head side to side... you are too close, back away slowly!
  
• A bear standing up is not a sign of aggression. They stand to see you better - once they get a good look, chances are they will walk away.

Remember: You are a guest in the bears home. Be respectful!

Polar Bear Infanticide

A warning upfront: Some of the images included in this post are graphic and very upsetting but it's a story that needs to be told.

By now we all know about Global Climate Change or Global Warming. We know that the sea ice is melting. We know that these changes are happening rapidly and we know that it is putting more and more pressure on the animals that rely on the ice for their survival. However, KNOWING and SEEING FIRST HAND are two very different things.

Churchill is a perfect location to view Polar Bears in the wild. Five rivers pour into Hudson Bay near Churchill, the fresh water freezing at a warmer temperature than the salt water with which it mixes. The polar bears stage in the area, waiting for the ice to form so that they can break their summer long fast by hunting the ring seals which inhabit the ice flows. The large males arrive in the first wave. They spend their time sparing with other males, establishing dominance and working muscles that have been neglected during the summers inactivity. When the ice forms they leave and it is safe for the smaller, younger males and females to stage on the shore before they step off onto the ice flow. The final wave of bears to arrive on the sea ice are the females with cubs. They are vigilant about keeping their cubs a safe distance from large males who are feeling increasingly pressured to find food for their starving bodies.

Historically the bears have been able to return to the sea ice to begin hunting by November 8th. Within the past decade that date has moved further out, the sea ice forming later and later and the multi-year sea ice all but disappearing. On November 19th I was witness to an incident which speaks to the pressures these bear are facing. The ice has yet to form. The area is saturated with bears: large males, thin geriatric bears, slender females, rambunctious teenagers and moms with cubs. They are all starving and they are impatient for the ice to form. A young female was guarding her cub when a large male approached too close. She valiantly fought him, attempting to protect her cub but in the end he was too big, too strong and he took the cub.

This is not an isolated incident. It has been recorded a confirmed four times to date during this season with an additional four unconfirmed incidents - eight in total. Retired biologist, Dr. Ian Sterling has been working with the Western Hudson Bay population of Polar Bears for over 30 years and has reported that he has not witnessed an incident of cannibalism in his time.

It would be easy to hate the male bear, to call him a bad seed and dismiss the incident as the harshness of Mother Nature. In speaking with JoAnne Simerson, Senior Keeper and Polar Bear Behaviorist with the San Diego Zoo, we agree that one has to have compassion for the male bear as well as the cub and female. If his normal food source were available to him he would not have wasted his time on the cub. The world is changing quickly and they all have so little time to adapt....

This December the United Nations plans to meet in Copenhagen to discuss a plan to reduce the world's carbon footprint. I was very happy to learn that President Obama will be attending the meeting and has pledged to reduce U.S. emissions 17% from 2005 by 2020.

For more information and resent press releases surrounding this incident and the ongoing research into Polar Bears please visit Polar Bears International (PBI).

Polar Bears

Blog Action Day 2009 has got me thinking about Climate Change and my impending visit to the Arctic. For the past few years I have been visiting the Polar Bears of Churchill, Manitoba. They are the Southern-most population and they are being hit hard by the lack of sea ice. Polar Bears are excellent swimmers for sure but with the sea ice disappearing, there is no where for them to swim to... Additionally, the sea ice traditionally holds the sea in place in the Hudson Bay... without it the wind kicks up large waves that even the best swimmers can't fight. The ice that does form is forming later and breaking up earlier... cutting into the bears time limit to capture enough prey to make it through another season. Click here to view an amazing study of the sea ice and it's decline over recent years. Scientists are seeing a trend... bears are getting smaller... mothers are producing single cubs or none at all... One can't help but wonder how long this species has before they reach the tipping point. Here's hoping they can hang on while we get our act together.

For more information on Polar Bears and how you can get involved visit Polar Bears International.

Spirit of BC

It hardly seems possible that a week ago I was sitting in the mud of the edge of a stream watching bears chasing pink salmon. We were so lucky this year with the bear activity and the weather.


Four different Kermode Black Bear (aka Spirit Bears) walked the creek in front of us... chasing fish, taking naps and hiding from the rain storms. In another area we found a mother Grizzly and her cub. She was unconcerned by our approach and continued going about her business of catching fish and playing with baby. Our flight out from Hartley Bay took us over the amazing landscapes of Prince Rupert Island.

Where have I been all this time??!!

Well, it seems that I have been absent of late and with good reason! Really! While some National Parks are now boasting internet access I am pleased to report that there is NO INTERNET in the High Sierras! I spent an amazing 9 days hiking the back country with friends. You can read all about the High Sierra Camps in Yosemite on the California Nature Blog.

Almost immediately upon my return, I washed some clothing, packed up the heavy duty camping gear and headed out the door to Alaska! Where the float planes and high winds were numerous and prevalent and the internet access was sparse. I was lucky enough to have won two lotteries this year. The first for access to the High Sierra camps and the second for access to an amazing area called the McNeil River Game Sanctuary. Let me tell you... my friend Enrique and I can pitch tents! 50 MPH winds and the tent we nicknamed "The Marriott", due to it's HUGE size, stood the test.

The bears were nothing short of spectacular! I'll leave you all with this little video clip of the falls to wet your appetite! Did I mention I now have a video camera? Life is good my friends!!

I love winter!!!!!!

It doesn't get much better than this! Just back from Churchill, Manitoba where I spent five wonderful nights sleeping on the tundra with some magnificent animals. The accommodations were rustic, a train style bunk bed with barely enough room to sit up but the view from my tiny window every morning made me smile.

Polar bears are typically loners. They roam the ice flows looking for seals to eat and rarely run into other bears. Yet, every fall the southern most population of polar bears gather near Churchill to wait for the Hudson Bay to freeze and provide them with a hunting ground.

The younger bears often rough house and tumble while the older bears sleep and conserve energy. All of the bears check the ice as it forms and prepare their systems to eat again. They dig up kelp and chew and chew. Researchers think the kelp provides iodine and perhaps beneficial bacteria which helps to restart the bears digestive systems. One thing is obvious... it gets things moving right along.

A great organization that is working with the bears is Polar Bears International. Check out their website at: http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/

Up Close

One of the great things about the Katmai Brown Bear comes from the abundance of food found in the summer. When they emerge from hibernation they ravenously munch on sedge grass to get their digestive systems up to speed. Then the salmon berries bloom. A good salmon berry crop in the spring bodes well for spring cubs the following year - this year was stellar which gives me just the excuse I needed to head back there next summer. Next, the salmon arrive. The bears adopt a very cool "I'll mind my business if you mind yours" attitude toward people when there is so much for them to eat. That said, never underestimate them. Statistically the chances of being attacked by a brown bear drop by 50% when you add just one person to make a group. Increase the group to three or more people and the likelihood of a bear attack drops to 0%. We had 8 people.

This sow spent quite a bit of time hunting for salmon in the rivers fed by the Serpent Tongue Glacier. She followed the tide and deftly grabbed salmon from the shallows when they least expected it. By sitting quietly in a group several feet back from the rivers edge, we were no more obtrusive in her world than the gulls who swooped in to clean up the remains of her meal after she left. She made several circles in front of us and even laid down to rest and gaze at the fish swimming past. A pretty amazing experience to photograph a bear this big with only a 70-200mm lens.

Working With What You Have

While we had plenty of bears in Katmai, they weren't always cooperative when it can to being on the proper side of the sun. Many times we found ourselves on the wrong side of a deep and fast moving stream while the bears thumbed their noses at us knowing we were only getting silhouettes.

Luckily I knew about a few tricks I had up my own sleeve. I continued to shoot away merrily, not stressing over the light. Making certain that I had good separation between these two young siblings I was able to create an artsy image with an infrared filter. Sometimes you just have to work with what you are given.

Teaser

I'm back!!

Just in from a wonderful week in Katmai National Park at the Katmai Wilderness Lodge. Tons of Grizzly Bear, Harbor Seals, Otters, Kittiwakes and Puffin. Over the next little bit I'll be telling you all about it. For now, I need sleep.

Admiralty Island

Just off the coast of Juneau is an enormous island called Admiralty. It is 1,646 square miles, making it the 7th largest island in the United States. But that isn't what makes it special... the Tlingit people named the island Xootsnoowú which means "Fortress of the Bears". Admiralty is home to an estimated 1,600 Alaskan Brown Bears, the highest density of brown bear in North America.

We arrived before the season truly begins, the salmon are not running yet so there isn't much to pull the bear out of the woods just yet. That said, we were greeted immediately upon landing in our float plane by a sow working the shoreline for mussels and clams. She would dig and dig and then chew the clams open with her massive teeth.

She had no intention of moving either and we waited a good long time before we could tie up the float plane and disembark. She was completely unperturbed by the entire proceeding, barely sparing us a glance form time to time. Permits are needed to visit the island which is covered mostly by a sanctuary. The only development on the island is a small settlement of about 570 Tlingit people whom are outnumbered nearly 3:1 by the bears.

We watched four different bear clamming and eating sedge during our visit. I'd love to come back once the salmon are swimming though a longer lens is a definite must.