wildlife

Black Bear Cub Climbing a Tree

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Cuteness alert! A baby black bear climbs a tree! šŸ»šŸŒ²

This little cub on the west coast of Vancouver Island was likely born inside the hollow heart of an ancient redcedar, a favourite maternity den for mother bears in this region.

Newborn black bears are among the smallest mammals in proportion to their mothers. This cub likely weighed about 300 grams (just over half a pound) at birth, roughly one three-hundredth the size of its mother. These blind, nearly hairless little jellybeans stay in the den with their mother for 2ā€“3 months before emerging as playful, fuzzy cubs.

Trees continue to provide safety as the cubs grow. At the first sign of danger, mother bears will send their babies scrambling up a tree trunk or use trees as a safe place for cubs while she forages nearby. In spring, black bears also visit hemlock trees like this one for a sugary treat, stripping away the outer bark of young hemlocks to feast on the sweet cambium when the sap starts to flow.

Thankfully, we got a surprise view of this little cutie from a distance without meeting Mom and then carried on our way. You never know what you might stumble upon while exploring old-growth forests! šŸ„¾

Hiking the Nootka Trail on the west coast of Vancouver Island, BC

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In 2020, a group of friends and I spent a week hiking the incredible Nootka Trail along the west side of Nootka Island in Mowachaht/Muchalaht and Nuchatlaht territory. The 35-kilometer-long coastal hike winds along white sandy beaches with waterfalls, wolves, and whales, and through lush rainforest home to towering cedar and spruce trees. It was a heavenly hike, despite hauling a 60lb bag loaded with heavy camera gear in case we saw wildlife, which we most certainly did! Only took me three years to go through the thousand+ photos but Iā€™m happy to finally share some of my faves.

Despite its amazing natural beauty, the majority of Nootka Island still remains unprotected and threatened by industrial logging. Ancient Forest Alliance is currently working to support local First Nations and their Salmon Parks Initiative which will begin to help conserve some of this spectacular region.

Takaya, the Lone Wolf, Killed

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Takaya, the Lone Wolf, Killed

Here are photos of the lone wolf, Takaya, which I captured just this past Sunday in the San Juan Valley near Port Renfrew. Tragically, Takaya was shot and killed Tuesday near Shawnigan Lake, making these likely the last images of him still alive. Takaya became famous after living alone on Discovery Island for the past eight years before recently swimming to Victoria where he was relocated by Conservation Officers to Port Renfrew.

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