A Bear Affair

This is an amazing experience, one that I would highly recommend to anyone who is thinking of coming this way. The season for the excursion is a short one as it is only available while the salmon are running (Mid June to mid August). The observatory is placed above the rapids. There are decks looking downstream towards the estuary and upstream. There is also a hide built directly above the rapids. Once at the observatory you book yourself a time for the hide where there are only 6 people at any given time and you have 1/2 an hour. There was an abundance of black bears at the rapids and two juvenile browns who only ventured a little ways up the creek. The browns are king but a juvenile is lower down the pecking order to black adults. Amongst the browns we were fortunate to observe adults, juveniles and new season cubs. One of the younger juveniles had only been cast out by mum in the last few days and was now on his own to fend for himself. He had tried to argue the injustice with his mum but she had firmly clipped him across the mouth and sent him on his way. He was a miserable young chap. He had obviously watched mum demonstrate the art of salmon catching but the skill left him wanting. After many unsuccessful attempts he resorted to eating the rotting carcasses of the rejected meat.Read more