AWARDS

2017 CONSERVATION STORY AWARD WINNER
2015 BBC WILDLIFE MAGAZINE FULL-FEATURE – to read the article

BEHIND THE SCENE

I have worked with this particular bear, named Ma’ah (grandmother) by the local First Nation Gitga’at, for many years. Local guides think she is now 20-years-old.
The Kermode, or spirit bear, is a subspecies of the American black bear. It has white or cream-coloured fur, owing to a unique recessive gene. Black bears and Kermodes alike can live up to 30 years in the wild, but most will live only to their early 20s. Ma’ah was last seen in September, 2019. We all hope she has survived the winter and will be back in the fall, near her favourite river, where she’ll be stocking up on salmon once again for the winter hibernation. When you go back to the same location over a period of years you get to know the local bears' preferences and behaviours.
In particular, Ma’ah loves to walk on that mossy log. It gives her a higher vantage point from which she can see the salmon better in the clear water. Knowing that she would walk the length of the log, I positioned myself lying flat on my stomach right in front of it, so I could get this cool low-angle perspective.