Page 14 - Breath of the Bear

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Black Bears, Brown Bears & Kermode Bears

There are several kinds of bears that a the lush and bountiful land of today. Raven set Park. In Canada, brown bears are referred to as
traveler will see in British Columbia and it helps aside the rainforest as a particular piece of land grizzlies.
to have a knowledge of the names as they are where these spirit bears would dwell in peace
sometimes used interchangeably, though they forever. The tribes revered the bear and viewed Up Close and Personal
differ in size and shape: it as having supernatural powers. The rest of the While popular conception has bears around
nation thought it was a lovely tale until the early every tree trunk in British Columbia, they can
Black Bears 1990s when two filmmakers stunned the world still remain illusive. However, there are some
The black bear is the smallest of the British with images of the spirit bear called Kermode. favorite sites to view these creatures in order
Columbian bears, though small is relative in the to take that framable quality photograph or just
bear family as this animal on average weighs The Kermode is a sub-species of a black bear to spin a few bear-raising tales for the friends
350 lbs, and though their name has the world and is found mainly in British Columbia and in back home.
“black” in it, they can also be brown, gray and particular in the Great Bear Rainforest, one of
cream. A black bear can be distinguished from the largest coastal, temperate rainforests in Good sites in British Columbia to view bears
others as they lack a large shoulder hump the world. The bear is not a polar bear nor is it include the following:
and their profile is that of a straight head and an albino, but rather, this bear is born to black
snout. Their rump is higher than their shoulders bear parents and inherits a recessive gene The Great Bear Rainforest
and the ears are longer and come to more of from each one, rendering it a milky, vanilla Grizzly, Kermode Bears
a point. The claws are black and short, giving white. First Nations never hunted this bear and Encompassing more than 250 miles along
them a great ability to climb trees. All bears are attached such reverence some would barely the coast of British Columbia, this 21 million
omnivores and opportunistic, meaning they will speak of the bear out loud. Today in the Great acre temperate forested area is the largest
eat anything that is available to them such as Bear Rainforest, if the spirit bear decides to rainforest in North America and is sometimes
insects, berries, fish, deer, moose and caribou. reveal himself to you, you will be blessed with referred to as the Amazon of the North. The
The yearly cycle of all bears is the same. They dazzling photographs and memories. rainforest was officially recognized by the
emerge in the spring from their dens hungry government of British Columbia in 2016 when
and ready to eat the first green plants that Brown Bears an agreement was entered into to protect 85%
are springing up from the winter months. In Adult brown bears are massive, powerful, the of the old-growth forested area from logging.
summer they are feasting on fresh berries and top of the food chain and they rule the forests Later that year the rainforest was inducted into
the salmon runs, putting on as much weight of British Columbia. There is a good chance the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy.
as possible. By fall there is a mad dash to eat that you will see them on your trip as more
the dwindling food supply. Those that don’t than half of Canada’s brown bear population This is a wild and magical place that is
gain enough weight by this point risk starvation is found in British Columbia. They are solitary teeming with cougars, wolves, grizzlies, an
or being killed by other bears. As soon as the animals except for a mother with cubs and abundance of fish and birds and of course the
snow begins to fall most bears are hibernating when they are fishing in the same area. Browns Kermode or spirit bear. Some say that even
and mothers give birth to cubs inside the den. are distinguishable from blacks by their large Sasquatch or Big Foot makes his home on the
shoulder hump which gives them the strength forested floor of the rainforest, but it is the site
Kermode to dig for roots and turn over fallen trees and of the elusive spirit bear that keeps drawing
For hundreds of years the First Nations logs. They also have a concave face and long photographers and tourists from all over the
of Kitasoo and Gitga’at told tales of a snow- claws used for digging. Despite their bulk they world to this rare and exceptional ecosystem.
white spirit bear that wandered the Great Bear are very agile and can run up to speeds of 30
Rainforest. In the damp misty fog of the forest miles per hour. Like blacks, they can be found Bella Coola
an image of a ghostly bear would appear, stark with coats that range from cinnamon to blonde. Grizzly, Black, Kermode Bears
against the contrast of the forest greenery and Gateway to the Great Bear Rainforest, Bella
then it would quickly recede, shrouded by the Grizzly Coola lies 62 miles (100 km) inland from the
mist. They said the spirit bear was created by All grizzly bears are brown bears but not coast. This area is also known for their museum
Raven, the creator of the rainforest. From black all brown bears are grizzlies. They are smaller quality handiwork from the First Nations Nuxalk
bears this bear came to remind the people of than the Kodiaks and coastal bears of Alaska people. In September, the bear viewing staton
the time when ice covered the land and food and grizzlies can be found roaming the interior in Tweedsmuir Park provides a safe way to get
was scarce. By remembering the past one of Alaska and Canada, and down into Montana close to bears and has been rated a hidden
would have gratitude and thankfulness for and Glacier National Park and Yellowstone jewel on Trip Advisor. Some of the grizzly bear

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