Salmon Bears

Ian McAllister · Nicholas Read

Apr 2010 · Orca Book Publishers

About this eBook

Extensively illustrated with Ian McAllister's magnificent photographs, The Salmon Bears explores the delicate balance that exists between the grizzly, black and spirit bears and their natural environment, the last great wilderness along the central coast of British Columbia. Key to this relationship are the salmon that are born in the rivers each spring, who then go out to sea as juveniles and return as adults to spawn and die, completing a cycle of life that ensures the survival of not only their own species but also virtually every other plant and animal in the rainforest. In clear language suitable for young readers, the authors describe the day-to-day activities that define the lives of these bears through the four seasons. But this is also very much the story of the Great Bear Rainforest, a vast tract of land that stretches from the northern tip of Vancouver Island to the Alaska border and contains some of the largest stands of old-growth forest left on the West Coast. The Salmon Bears focuses on the interconnectedness of all life in the rainforest and makes a strong case for the importance of protecting this vital ecological resource.

About the author

Ian McAllister, a founding director of both the Raincoast Conservation Society and Pacific Wild, is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker. He has spent more than twenty years working to preserve the West Coast's temperate rainforest. Ian lives with his family on an island in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest.

Nicholas Read, a lifelong lover of animals, has written on animal issues for the Vancouver Sun and on other issues for The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and other publications. He has lived in both Canada and the United Kingdom, where he worked for the national animal-rights organization Animal Aid.