Stories and photos by Michelle Fedosoff (unless otherwise indicated)
Canada is known for certain wildlife: moose, beavers, and bears. If you want to see any of these wonderful animals, you can take a drive through one of Canada’s national parks where you can spot wildlife from your car. Or you can try hiking on one of many trails through the natural landscape.
I chose to take a wildlife viewing tour to see the grizzly bears in southern British Columbia.
Grizzly Bear Sightings in Knight Inlet
In the predawn, I loaded onto the boat for a two-hour boat trip from historic Telegraph Cove, located in northern Vancouver Island, to the mainland of British Columbia. It was cool and drizzly as we made our way to Knight Inlet.
Knight Inlet is part of the Great Bear Rainforest and not accessible by car.
Upon arrival at our destination, the 10 other passengers and I disembarked our boat and loaded into our van to take us down the forest track to the viewing platforms.
These Big Guys Love the Water
Upon reaching the platforms, we sat in the van for a few minutes while the driver and guide kept a look out for grizzlies. Determining that none were close by, we quickly got out of the vehicle and up the ramp to the platform.
Below us stretched a site I could not have imagined. A small river where the salmon were spawning and grizzly bears feeding on them. I counted 30 bears. I had never imagined anything so spectacular. It took me at least 15 minutes to stop shaking with wonder to be able to take any decent photos.
Our guide and driver stood by watching carefully, both were equipped with rifles for safety. My guide explained that early last week, the bears started arriving in the area and began fighting to determine who was going to be feeding in the prime spot. Visitors are not allowed to the blinds at that time as the bears are easily agitated and injuries can occur but now they were calm and relaxed, mostly full of salmon. It appeared he was correct as the bears did not at all seem interested in the people looking down on them. Watching the bears floating in the water, lazily ripping the salmon apart, and making sounds almost like a purr, was surreal.
Grizzly Bear Facts
Male grizzlies can weigh as much as 800 pounds, with the largest on record weighing in at 1200 pounds. They vary in size between 5 feet to 8 feet long.
Female grizzlies weigh between 300 and 500 pounds
At birth, grizzlies weigh 1 pound
When standing on its hind legs, a male can reach between 8 feet and 10 feet tall.
Grizzly bear claws are 4 inches long.
Grizzlies are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals. They will hunt deer, caribou, elk, mice, and salmon. They scavenge other kills and camp sites. Berries, grasses and insects like ants and bees make up the rest of their diet.
Grizzlies are solitary animals except in the case of a mother with her cubs or a large food source such as a whale carcass or salmon spawning locations.
Unlike black bears, when threatened, grizzlies are more likely to attack than to flee. Mother bears defending their cubs are responsible for 70 percent of human deaths due to grizzly bear attacks.
Most of Canada’s grizzly population lives in British Columbia.
They can run as fast as 30 miles per hour.
Their sense of smell is stronger than a bloodhound and they can smell animal carcasses as far as 20 miles away.
A grizzly bear bites at 1,160 PSI (pounds per square inch) and scientists suggest that this is enough to crush a bowling ball.
Grizzlies hibernate between 4 and 7 months each year, depending on the length of winter.
Females give birth during hibernation and the babies consume the mother’s milk during the rest of hibernation.
Grizzlies in the wild can live between 22 to 26 years in the wild.
Grizzly bears are beautiful and majestic animals and a wonder to see, but remember these are wild and dangerous animals so never feed them and do not approach.
A Grizzly Bear “Safari” I Will Never Forget
My fellow travelers must have felt the same – no one was talking. The only sound was from the cameras and the bears below.
After several hours of watching these large bears from several different blinds, we headed back to our boat for the trip back to Vancouver Island. Along the way we spotted killer whales. Dall porpoises followed in the wake of the boat.
This was as good as any safari that people imagine. I will be back another year.
If You Go to See Grizzlies in Knight Inlet
A few things to take note of if you go.
This boat trip can be on rough water. Tide Rip Tours, the company I used, does not allow people with back problems or pregnant women to take the tour. The rules around strong smelling deodorant, perfumes, and food are strictly enforced.
Certified BC Bear Guides are used to help support the conservation of grizzly bears and black bears.
www.grizzlycanada.com
