It’s always nice and rewarding to see the same bears year after year and being able to watch them grow and mature. But, not all the bears in the Khutzeymateen grizzly bear sanctuary on the BC coast are accepting or tolerant of the small boats that work the channels in there and that too is a good thing. For a few bears, upon seeing a large (to them) odd looking thing with several heads motoring towards them or coming around a corner in a channel is a little strange and the safest thing to do when strange, bigger things than you are around is to get out of there.
That was the case during my first visit to the Khutzeymateen back in 2012 – I briefly spotted this young female grizzly bear with a distinct head blaze, but upon seeing and hearing the boat I was in she steadily made a retreat for the tree line. I did manage to get this shot (above) of her before she disappeared though. But since then, I don’t think I’ve seen her again…
… Until last summer that is. On just a couple of occasions in the same area to the 2012 bear I spotted a mother grizzly (with a distinct head blaze) with three young cubs. She quite rightly was a little nervous upon seeing the boat come around the corner and headed back to the bush with her brood. Again I managed just a couple of shots before she disappeared (see below) and kept thinking to myself I’m sure I’ve seen that bear before, but couldn’t place it.
Whilst working on some images over the winter I came across the 2012 shot and it instantly reminded me of the mum in the 2017 shot and after close comparison, I’m pretty sure (60/40) that it’s the same bear all grown up, see what you think. (Remember click images to enlarge them). Either way it was still good to see them!
