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Black Bear Cubs

June 25, 2013 Lodge Guide

Black bear family — Click to enlarge then click again

A common saying at the lodge is “black bears are where you find them” meaning that on all tours whether for grizzlies, whales, or the extra day at the river we are always looking for and finding black bears. In this case it was a June trip up Knight Inlet for a morning run to the grizzly bears that Glen took this photo of a black bear and her triplets. Twin cubs are common triplets less so but not rare. These cubs are likely three to for months old being born in their den February. Many of the black bears is the area have come to accept boat traffic and do not necessarily run for the nearest tree as this mother indicates by her stroll along the rocky shore.

Grizzly Mother with catch

This grizzly bear uses the same method as the cub from yesterday’s posting. She sits in a deep (1 to 2 meters – 3 to 6 feet) area of the river and picks up the dead salmon off the bottom. She does not even bother to look into the water but rather reaches down and pulls up salmon until she has one that meets her criterion of eatable. The calorie value of salmon does not change if it is several days old but the amount of calories burned to catch the salmon makes a difference. The grizzly bears of central British Columbia do not have this source of food to fatten for the winter so “waste not want not” seems a good policy.