Contrary to popular belief, approximately 90% of the grizzly bear’s diet consists of vegetation, not human flesh as the media would have you believe! Given that, it’s interesting to note that bears have relatively simple digestive systems. That is to say, like us, vegetable matter mulched through the chompers often comes out the stern looking suspiciously similar to when it went in (just ask staff Naturalist Daryl Dancer who fashions paper products including Tide Rip coffee filters, from bear scat she has methodically collected from the rain forest floor!). To compensate for the inefficient digestion of cellulose, bears maximize the quality of vegetal food items ingested, typically foraging on plants that are in phenological stages of highest nutrient availability and digestibility. This necessitates somewhat predictable seasonal movements throughout their home range from intertidal sedge in the spring to sunlit berry patches in the summer to estuarine bulbs and roots in the fall. In order to facilitate these seasonal harvests, grizzly bears are equipped with some specialized tools of the trade. For instance, the diagnostic muscular shoulder hump provides the horsepower necessary to get the job done, while the elongated claws provide purchase for excavation and the expansion of the serrated molar surfaces helps churn salad into paper pulp. When one can only muster the energy for 7 months out of the sack, nearly every waking hour is reserved for feeding to ensure that enough meat will be laid down on the bones to sustain the bears through the 4000 calorie/day rigors of hibernation. Tide Rip is delighted to announce that our bears have been observing the sage advice of Mama. It’s nature’s broom after all!
Grizzly bears and black bears, deer and wolves, eagles and an amazing array of seabirds, there’s always something to see on a Tide Rip Grizzly Bear Expedition!!!
We depart at 0700 am daily from historic Telegraph Cove bound for the spectacular Knight Inlet by covered water taxi, complete with onboard washroom. Cost starts at $319 per adult for this all day excursion that includes a light breakfast, healthy lunch and knowledgeable Guides.
Please call toll free 1.888.643.9319 or local 250.928.3090 to book your Grizzly Bear Expedition.
We know where the bears are. We can get you there!
