#salmon_stream

[johnnyslittleanimalblog]

Near miss by Terry Allen Via Flickr: It was fun to watch the Kermode bears (spirit bears, a rare white genetic variant of black bears) fishing for salmon in a creek on Gribbell Island, on north coastal British Columbia. They can only be seen in a very small area of the BC coast and occur nowhere else in the world. The bears gorge during the fall when the salmon swim up the streams to spawn and this guy had just missed catching a salmon that was swimming by. 17/12/2018 www.allenfotowild.com

[johnnyslittleanimalblog]

Ghost bear by Terry Allen Via Flickr: A beautiful spirit bear (ghost bear, Ursus americanus kermodei) comes out off the woods at the edge of a salmon river on Gribbell Island to eat the nutrition-rich salmon that sustain it throughout its winter hibernation. Gribbell is one of small number of islands in the Hartley Bear area that host this rare genetic variation of the black bear. The white colour is due to a double recessive gene unique in the subspecies and the bear is considered sacred to the Gitga'at and Kitasoo First Nations bands that live in the area. We were guests of the Gitga'at people of Hartley Bay and their 'bear whisperer' Marven Robinson. He has made a life time work of getting to know and protect this rare wild bear species, and he trains young members of the band to help him in this special work. This is a young bear that they have named 'Warrior' for the scar on its nose. 16/10/2017 www.allenfotowild.com

[johnnyslittleanimalblog]

Ghost bear by Terry Allen Via Flickr: A beautiful spirit bear (ghost bear, Ursus americanus kermodei) comes out off the woods at the edge of a salmon river on Gribbell Island to eat the nutrition-rich salmon that sustain it throughout its winter hibernation. Gribbell is one of small number of islands in the Hartley Bear area that host this rare genetic variation of the black bear. The white colour is due to a double recessive gene unique in the subspecies and the bear is considered sacred to the Gitga'at and Kitasoo First Nations bands that live in the area. We were guests of the Gitga'at people of Hartley Bay and their 'bear whisperer' Marven Robinson. He has made a life time work of getting to know and protect this rare wild bear species, and he trains young members of the band to help him in this special work. This is a young bear that they have named 'Warrior' for the scar on its nose. 16/10/2017 www.allenfotowild.com

[johnnyslittleanimalblog]

Fattening up for hibernation by Terry Allen Via Flickr: Kemode bear devouring a salmon on a rock, Gribbell Island, coastal British Columbia. The bears have to eat enough of the fat, nutrient-rich salmon to sustain them for up to 7 months of hibernation when they do not eat. The fall salmon runs, especially in good years, allow the bears to put on enough fat to survive the long hibernation. 23/11/2018 www.allenfotowild.com