Alaska Day 9 – Brown Bears and More Brown Bears

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On today’s bear viewing trips, we saw up to 24 Brown Bears at one time.  They were either eating sedges or digging for clams.  We saw a sow with two young cubs (the same ones we saw yesterday) and a sow with three young cubs.  One little cub imitated mom and attempted to dig for clams. I couldn’t tell whether the cub was successful or just practicing. There were a few sows that had an older cub or two.

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The first year of a bear’s life is the toughest to survive.  Boars (male bears) will sometimes kill the cubs in order to mate with the female.  The females were very wary and quick to remove themselves if a boar was on the prowl. 

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After another hearty dinner, we drove on the beach in the other direction.  We had seen so many bears demonstrating a variety of behaviors, we were interested in seeking other wildlife.  I expressed the desire to see a wolf.  I didn’t expect to see one, but they are in the area.  Our guide located a set of wolf tracks on the beach.  It was thrilling to see them and the evidence that wolves were nearby.   

I got this evening panorama of Chinitna Bay.

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A dog named Benson lives at Bear Mountain Lodge. His job is to keep the bears away from the lodge. He has taken on the additional duty of greeting all the bush planes when they arrive. When he hears the plane, he heads to the beach to greet the new arrivals. Here he is enjoying a little sun.

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