Alaska’s Brooks Falls hosts one of the biggest concentrations of grizzly bears in the world. As salmon make their way up the six-foot waterfalls, bears vie for the best fishing spots. And the females will do whatever it takes to protect their young.
The grizzly bears at Brooks Falls are hugely popular with tourists. These bears are also followed closely on Katmai's live bearcams. Some have nicknames, among them some bulky individuals like Walker, Chunk and 747. But I travelled to this spot to see the females.
I stayed at Jacques Camp on the banks of Lake Iliamna, and travelled by float plane to Katmai National Park to watch the bears at Brooks Falls. The journey itself was quite an adventure. We flew to Naknek Lake, downstream of the falls and from there walked through the woods.
Grizzlies gather at Brooks Falls
These waterfalls represent the final challenge for salmon migrating from the Pacific Ocean to breed in the upper reaches of these rivers. Each spring, following a journey of at least a thousand miles, the salmon must leap the six-foot falls to make it to their spawning grounds in Brooks Lake beyond. Safety is less than a mile away, but first they must run the gauntlet, jumping out of the water, right into the path of some hungry grizzly bears.
The chance for an easy meal leads the bears to gather in huge numbers. The largest bears tend to take the best spots at the falls, but I find the way the females and cubs behave the most interesting.
Female bears protect cubs
Mother bears give birth between January and March, and by now their cubs are around six months old. I watched one female, known as 402, who is believed to be around 25 years old and to have had eight litters, more than any bear at Brooks River.
Grizzly males are a threat to cubs and can sometimes kill to force a female into oestrus and ensure only their own genes are passed on. The females therefore spend much of their time guarding their young.
But one bear mum, Grazer, had no problem standing up to the other bears. Her cubs were two years old and nearing independence. Affectionately known as the 'Grazerettes', they oozed confidence as they followed their dominant mother to the best fishing spot on the falls.
Interestingly each 'mama bear' had its own, unique approach to parenting. Some, like a female nicknamed 402, were cautious, others were chancers and yet more were old hands and calmly confident.
Join Robert's travel club
Interested in wildlife travel? If you long to see elephants roaming wild or dream of watching polar bears on the ice, then you may be interested in joining my travel club. I travel to far-flung destinations to see wildlife and now I want to share my knowledge with you. I've teamed up with award-winning wildlife tour operators Wildfoot Travel to create a travel club with a number of benefits. And, it's free!
Interested? Find out more
