Living in their world: Black Bears in the Canadian Rainforest.

Originally a city girl, I am always pleasantly surprised when I walk outside and breathe in the scent of the forest on the North Shore Mountains of Vancouver where I now live. I am also regularly surprised to see a black bear in my yard or a mother bear strolling up the road in search of food with three babies in tow. I am constantly reminded that I am living in their world.

Not surprisingly, my backyard has been home to a rough and prickly orphaned baby bear I nicknamed Stella. She was happy and safe with a good supply of fresh pears and plums from our fruit trees. At any sign of distress, she easily climbed one of our old growth cedars and would stay there, 30 feet up, taking a nap for the afternoon. This taught me to look up when hiking as these lovely creatures are quite at home in the trees. Take the time to stop and look up into the trees, you might see bears, eagles, squirrels, blue jays, woodpeckers and more.

Every spring, the bears wake after their winter hibernation and head down from the mountains in search of food. They are a major link in the ecosystem of BC’s Coastal Rainforest. Black bears are skilled fishers, and their love for salmon provides nutrients for other species of wildlife and the forest itself. It is believed that the ancient old growth forests survive the winter storms in part due to the nutrients absorbed from the remains of the salmon caught by the bears.

Our BC Rainforest packages take you to remote lodges in the realm of the black bear. Recently, I stumbled upon the books and photography of Ian McAllister where I was introduced to the elusive Spirit bear. I was astonished to read that one in ten black bears in BC are born white. That said, very few people in search of this bear are fortunate enough to capture their beauty on film.

According to legend, the Raven creator made the Spirit Bear to remind the Kitasoo/Xai'xais people of a time when this land was covered in ice and how the people should be thankful for the lush and bountiful land of today.

I invite you to experience the world and habitat of the black bear in British Columbia’s coastal Rainforest.

I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Karen,

Journey Designer & Brand Manager at Adventica Luxury Travel

Photo credit: Ian McAllister/Pacific Wild