Last month during a steady rainfall we were huddled under the canopy of a pontoon boat in a shallow bay in Southeast Alaska. Bad weather and a low cloud cover had prevented our intended flight that morning to Katmai National Park to see and photograph the iconic brown bears catching salmon at Brooks Falls. Although disappointed, we were encouraged by the alternative of going to Redoubt Bay where bears are also known to fish for salmon during this time of year. We had been in Alaska for almost a week and ready for some close-up encounters with wildlife. Our wish would soon be granted.
The images in this essay tell the story of an interaction (actually a confrontation) between two huge Alaskan brown bears. As our small pontoon boat rounded a bend to enter a small bay, we first saw the female bear almost fully submerged and trying to scare up some salmon. Our guide recognized this bear as “Bubbles” which best described an aspect of her fishing technique. We then noticed a large male emerge from the woods to survey the possibilities. Once he saw the female, he quickly determined that this bay was not big enough for the two of them and he took off in pursuit. What happened next occurred within seconds and I think the images below best tell the story. We were about 30 yards from the bears, but it wasn’t until I was editing these photos later that I fully appreciated the details of the interaction. (the female bear is shown on the left).
When the female rose up to confront the male, they locked eyes and bared their teeth as they lunged just inches from each other. After much pushing and snarling, the female lowered her head slightly and the confrontation immediately ended without injury and each bear withdrew to fish a good distance from the other.
Alaskan Brown Bears, (Ursos Arctos) are the same species as Grizzly bears which live more inland. Because of a generally milder climate and more varied food sources, coastal brown bears are larger and can grow to weigh 800-1,000 pounds and stand ten feet tall on their hind legs. The two bears shown here are big.
During our final week in Alaska, we journeyed up Glacier Bay and saw many more bears foraging on the shoreline. Southeast Alaska is a wonderous and truly wild place with glaciers, tundra, and the home of the bears.
