A Day Among Giants: Wrapping Up Grizzly Season on the BC Coast
Naturalist Brian Keating recently returned from one of our unforgettable day trips into British Columbia’s Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, a place he calls “absolutely magic.” The expedition followed the same model as our popular one-day polar bear trips to Churchill, except this time, the destination was coastal. The day began with a short flight to Prince Rupert, followed by a high-speed catamaran journey 40 km north into one of the most protected wilderness areas in the province.
“We were hardly out of Prince Rupert Bay when we had our first sighting,” Keating said. A young grizzly, probably in his first year of independence, was foraging along the beach. And the bears just kept coming. By the end of the day, we had seen at least six different bears, including a female known as Hot Chocolate and her tiny cub of the year.
Grizzly bear, Hot Chocolate, and her 5-month-old cub of the year feeding on sedge, a grasslike plant.
The Khutzeymateen Sanctuary
The Khutzeymateen was established in 1994 as the world’s first sanctuary dedicated specifically to grizzly bears. “You can’t even walk on the shoreline,” Keating explained. “You’re not allowed to get off your boat and explore in the forest. It’s got the highest level of protection within BC Parks.”
The name “Khutzeymateen” comes from a local First Nations language, and is often translated as “a confined space of salmon and bears.” That salmon connection is no coincidence. The bears here feast on sedge grass, clams, and eventually spawning salmon, helping fertilize the old-growth rainforest in a remarkable example of ecosystem interdependence. “The trees are healthy, tall, and old because of the bears,” said Keating, describing how salmon isotopes have even been found in the needles of the Sitka spruce trees.
Views from the catamaran as we sailed into the Khutzeymateen Inlet.
Wildlife Sightings
Sightings weren’t limited to grizzly bears. Our group also spotted several humpback whales, a mountain goat on a steep slope, a black-tailed deer, a river otter, and even a pod of orcas. “Usually orcas are racing somewhere to kill something, but this pod was chill,” Keating said. “We hung with them for quite some time before we finally shoved off.”
An orca lobtailing, creating a splash and loud sound by slapping its tail against the water.
Birders had plenty to see too. Over 20 species were identified, including bald eagles, surf scoters, rhinoceros auklets, and marbled murrelets, a species that indiucates the quality of old-growth forest.
Surf scoters flying low over the calm waters of the Khutzeymateen Inlet.
“It was absolutely magic,” Keating said, “Looking up at those ancient spruce trees, listening to the song of a varied thrush, with a grizzly feeding on shore.”
And the best part? “It’s just over the Rockies, just on the other side.”
For a full recap of the day, head over to CBC’s The Homestretch where Naturalist Brian Keating shared the full story with host Chris dela Torre. CBC - The Homestretch
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References
dela Torre, Chris (Host). (2025, July 20). Brian Keating on BC grizzly bears [Radio broadcast]. CBC Radio, The Homestretch. https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-97-the-homestretch/clip/16152843-brian-keating-bc-grizzly-bears
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