More bears today, this time of the brown variety, taken on beautiful Vancouver Island in Canada. I stayed at Knight Inlet Lodge, an amazing floating lodge deep in the heart of bear country, and highly recommended. It is pricey, though, so be warned!
Each year, the salmon return to spawn in the same place that they were born the previous year. The river is thick with them, to the point where in places it's impossible to see the river bed.
The salmon face an arduous upstream battle to find their spot and finally arrive, exhausted and dying, to find dozens of smug grizzlies lying in wait. Which is the last thing a horny salmon needs, really. The bears are there to fatten up on fish before they hibernate, and the salmon are so plentiful that I saw bears simply eating the nutritious orange roe, and leaving the rest of the fish virtually untouched.
Bears can actually hold their breath for a surprisingly long time, and some stick their heads underwater to get up close and pick the really juicy salmon. Then they emerge triumphantly with much over-dramatic snorting and shaking of the head, to rid their fur of the excess water (below).
Others prefer the less athletic option, and simply position themselves at a waterfall, sit on a rock and wait for their meal to literally jump into their mouth.
It makes using a knife and fork feel like a bit of an effort, really.
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