The Grizzlies Are Sleeping~

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS

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all snug in their beds,
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while dreams of salmon,

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dance in their heads.

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Last year at this time I posted the highlight of 2015 which was spending time with Mama-Griz and Her Mini-me in Glacier National Park in Montana.
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This year the highlight of 2016 was spending time with the twenty six or so grizzlies and cubs in the Knight Inlet in Canada.

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It is an absolute thrill to observe and photograph these magnificent creatures in the wild. I took so many photos in the inlet and thought I would share some more with you.

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The grizzly bear is listed as a threatened species in the contiguous United States and endangered in parts of Canada.

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Ursus Artos Californicus is the symbol of my state, California. In 1866, a grizzly described as weighing as much as 2,200 pounds was killed at The Holler, the biggest bear ever found in California. Today this California species is extinct.
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Does this guy look like a well fed and happy Baloo Bear to you?

It is my sincere hope that the remaining grizzlies in North America will be allowed to live out their lives in peace. Cheers to you from the now sleeping grizzlies of the Knight Inlet~

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273 thoughts on “The Grizzlies Are Sleeping~”

  8. I hope so too, Cindy. They are such magnificent animals with unique characteristics and personality like all other wildlife, all of them, to be appreciated and protected.

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  14. It is hard to imagine a world without grizzlies. Maybe they will be around when my great grandchildren have children to enjoy these amazing animals not just in pictures. By the way they are great.

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    1. It is such a sad thing to imagine them suffering and then gone. Ursus Californicus should be roaming The Holler today. I hope they are still here for your great grandchildren~ 🐻

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  16. Incredible photographs. Just fantastic. I don’t know if people can let anything live. We have a person in the white house (sometimes) who doesn’t care about the environment at all. It mades me sick, really sick to even think that one will be killed. There is something very wrong with our species.Very wrong.

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    1. I am so sorry I missed this comment. It was in my wordpress spam filter. I was on a wooden bear viewing platform built to observe grizzlies as they feed on wild salmon. I am so happy you enjoyed them & cheers to you~

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    1. Oh my, my, my! You do see why I love blogging so! How else could I have met someone who freed the last California grizzly entrapped in our flag? He needs to be in the lower Holler field right now. I’ll just feed him a bit until he gets on his feet, so to speak. Don’t tell anyone~

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  35. Amazing photos and narrative! What a wonderful life they have there – eating, playing, and just being together. This is the kind of sight I hope we can continue to enjoy far into the future. I definitely see why this is the highlight of 2016! 🙂

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  36. Hello Cindy.

    They got big noses, the older ones. 😉

    And You never ever will know, what´s in their mind next minute.

    Wonderful big creatures and each of them got his own character.

    And they are really dangerous and incredible fast in moving and very intelligent.
    You have to be carefully in the near of them.

    A small bear, a racoon, came to my apartment, for the time of nearly two years.
    He was young and not very shy. It was a curious friendship.

    But we both kept a distance of half a meter all the time.

    Last winter on st. Nikolas evening he appeared with a female racoon, more shy as he was.

    I stopped to feed them, because it would be no good for them, because of my neighbors.

    It was hard to me, but the best to be done.

    Have a good time.

    Frank

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    1. Ahhh! He is your friend and he brought his mate to meet you! And you had to stop feeding him because your neighbors might hurt him. I think this says all that one can say about wild animals and people. Some people care about and protect them, others don’t care and kill them even when they is no reason to. Thank you for sharing this story. It makes me very happy to know you~ <3 🐻

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        1. Oh your heart is wonderful! I love them. Thank you for sending me the link. I was following raccoon prints all over Salton Sea. They led me to the birds. They are smart creatures.

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          1. The racoon had spent a lot of time with me before. I could have the glassdoor opened, sitting at my table, smoking my cigartette and drinking Cappucino and he was with his rolled oats and water. I talked to him and he listened from time to time looking backwards. We had a good time. 😉

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              1. Hello Cindy.

                But it is not as easy, at it seems to be, when You read my story.

                You got to know, what kind of being you meet, when you spent time with.

                I told you my adventure, to show you, that my racoon was a bear as well, as your big ones.

                Even after a long time of knowing, I always had to look for, what is in his mind aktually.

                There were times he needed more distance than at other days.

                And a bear is really dangerous and reacts as wild animal, even a small one.

                And each kind of animal, does not think about, why it is, like it is.

                I never touched him, although I´d rather liked to do this. And my racoon knew I would not do. There are rules to be respected. You find out in looking how animals are used to behave. For me it´s a special way of learning, what life can be. And that´s the thrill to me; another touch of love. 😉

                Have a nice day.

                Frank

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  38. Great photos of fantastic animals Cindy. As someone who lives in a country without creatures like this, can you tell me if you need to be cautious when you are photographing them. You sound almost casual about it and it seems like they might be friendly but that is not my perception of any bear, however wonderful they are.

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    1. Oh yes, you need to be extremely cautious in bear country. There are a host of rules that need to be followed to keep you and the bears as safe as possible. If you unwisely break these rules you increase the chance that the bear may kill you and lots of bears will be killed for your mistakes. I am never alone in bear country. I make lots of noise to avoid startling a bear which is a very dangerous thing to do. I carry no food on my person. I carry bear spray. I observe their body language closely and keep safe distance. These bears were viewed from wooden viewing platforms that are much like bird hides. I am most wary of inland bears like the ones I photographed in Glacier National Park. I photographed the mom and cub for several hours. She knew we were there and looked at us regularly but we never approached close enough to provoke any alarm. Interestingly some people and their dog eventually came along. I told them to go no further as there was a sow and cub ahead. They ignored me and proceeded into her space. They got charged. Even the cub charged. I left at that point.
      Salmon eating coastal bears are more focused on the fish during the salmon runs.

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      1. I’m glad to hear you are so sensible. It sounds very exciting though, if a bit scary as well. I must visit the States someday. I find it very difficult to get my head around it being so big – that’s the result of living on a little island. There are good things about that as well of course, like always being near the sea 😄

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