Coastal Brown Bears - Sow & 2nd Year Cub @ Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park, AK

            This pretty sow and her 2nd year cub were some of the first bears that we experienced in Hallo Bay.

In this location, the Coastal Brown Bears are habituated to humans.  There are rules that humans are required to follow, like not approaching the Bears any closer than 50+ yards.  However, the Bears are not subject to any rules, so they often cruise by humans, often much closer than 50+ yards.

As long as you follow the rules that the Bear Guides drill into you before you enter the territory of the Bears, things go very well.  Rules like:

1. Don't feed the Bears and don't bring food to the vicinity of the Bears.
2. Don't run!  Calmly behind your Bear Guide when in the Sedge meadows.  Let your Bear Guide interact with the Bears.
3. When a Bear approaches you, don't give ground to the Bear.
4. Don't shout at the Bears.  If they approach, talk to them calmly, but firmly.  Our Bear Guide used, "no, No, NO" as a curious Bear approached very closely, with the Bear vearing away from us when our leaned forward towards the approaching Bear and uttered "NO".
5. The rules go on, and on.  There are not really that many rules, but they are different rules than the rules taught in the interior of Alaska, in Canada, and in  other Grizzly Bear terroritories, where the Grizzlies are treated, from birth, in a very different manner than the Coastal Brown Bears within Katmai National Park are treated.

Bottom line: respect the Bears.

I cannot begin to explain how it feels to have one of these BIG, BEAUTIFUL Coastal Brown Bears walk directly towards you, closer, and closer, and closer, and then to recognize that you are neither food nor a threat to them, at which point they "usually" lose interest in you.  I'm told that there are exceptions, but we had very, VERY, good encounters with over 40+ Coastal Brown Bears during our visits to Katmai National Park in June, 2023.

I'll be visiting them again!!!

Taken on: June 14, 2023

Tags:

sow

cub

coastal brown bear

bear

brown bear

katmai national park

katmai

park

national park

hallo bay « less

Sets appears in: • Rick's Favorite Memories • Coastal Brown Bears more » • Bears • Katmai National Park « less

Groups appears in: • Bears • Katmai National Park and Preserve more » • BEARS of the WORLD « less

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