Bear Facts

Each month our biologist brings you an interesting fact about bears and other animals in the valley. Bears are fascinating animals: curious, intelligent and powerful.

Siesta is over

It's spring here in the Great Bear Rainforest. The trees are budding, flowers are blooming, birds are singing, and the staff at Great Bear Nature Tours is buzzing about wildlife sightings and the expectation of the season to come.
 
By mid-April, the bears are just beginning to wake from their winter slumber. During this time of emergence from the den one might think that they wake up with a ravenous appetite and head straight out in search of food. After all, they have not had anything to eat or drink for perhaps six months. Actually, many bears have been observed in early spring just “hanging out” around their dens for a few days almost as if deciding whether or not they should go back to bed. Once they do emerge they generally seek out water first and eventually begin to feed lightly on the young new growth of protein-rich plants such as sedge.  However some wise bears will also seek out winter killed ungulates in avalanche zones or other likely areas.  Still, many bears continue to lose weight for two more months after emergence.

Check back next month for another interesting fact about the animals in the Great Bear Rainforest..