The two viewing stands used by Grizzly Bear Lodge on our wildlife tours in Knight Inlet seem to attract bears. They show no fear of the red and orange suited guests or the click of cameras as they pass beneath the stands. The main attraction is salmon. The grizzly bears have a limited time to add enough fat to survive hibernation. Once the salmon arrive in mid August and we are permitted to use the stands after August 24th we view bears eating salmon. If cubs do not add enough fat they will not survive hibernation and if expectant mothers body fat is not high enough the fertilized eggs will be absorbed and fewer cubs will be born for the next year. Pausing to see the roses does not seem to be an option for grizzly bears this time of the year.
Grizzly Bear Lodge is located on Minstrel Island approximately 25 kilometers from the mouth of Knight Inlet on the West Coast of British Columbia between the BC Coast and Vancouver Island. This is important because the location has its own microclimate, which involves a cloud cover, which moves in most evenings and burns off by noon the next day. This all makes the sunrise shown in this photo by Craig and Pat Brown from USA rather rare.