In Pursuit: A Narrow Escape
Unaware at first of the presence of the adult grizzly, the bigger of the two yearlings suddenly realizes its mistake and makes a last minute getaway, narrowly escaping into the forest above through an opening too small for the large bear. For yearlings this is one of the toughest parts of growing up, this is the time of year when their mother - their world, the one who protected them from danger and feeds them decides itâs time for them to be on their own. This time usually comes in the spring when she is ready to mate again and her baby has grown up enough to take care of itself. It can be a heart breaking moment to watch a small yearling rebuked by its mother but once the yearling gets the picture they will wander the estuary. In the Khutzeymateen the yearlings, newly separated from their motherâs protection tend to congregate in this area of the estuary where sedge is plentiful, the cliff wall and water provide protection on two sides. The space is a double edged sword, it provides more protection but it also only provides two escape routes if a full grown bear tries to attack. Covered in moss and lichen, with enough sedge growing along the waters edge, the cliff offers a little more safety than the meadows that back up to the forest farther up the river for these small grizzlies. Here with the cliff behind them, they only need to watch for older bears and other dangers on their right and left. Itâs a curious thing, the bears rarely worry about danger from the water. To them danger comes from along the river bank or the forest. At the wall there are escape routes. Trails on either side of the cliff face that lead up into the hills where there are numerous hidey holes for small bears looking to disappear. The danger, adult male grizzlies will kill and eat small yearlings. Itâs a common cause of yearling mortality known as infanticide. Seems gory but when there is high competition for food, the yearlings are an easy source of a high protein and a high calorie meal. It also eliminates future rivals for both food and mating. We had watched these two small bears for a while and were about to move on when one of the largest grizzlies in the Khutzeymateen crept out of the woods over a log on the far end of the cliff face. The adult male grizzlies pursuit of these two small bears happened very quickly, both escaped into the forest above using openings too small for this gigantic bear. The large grizzly continued to pursue them up into the forests above. Khutzeymateen Grizzly Santctuary, British Columbia, Canada, June 2025 54°37'26.6736" N 129°54'17.5062" W