"" "For thousands of years, people around the world looked into the sky and saw the same thing dancing overhead," "Ursa Major, the Great Bear." "Some believed the bear had special powers that it could move magically between sky and Earth." "Today that magic is in danger of disappearing." "In the Andes Mountains, the Spectacled Bear, once revered by the Incas, is now persecuted as a pest." "In parts of India and Sri Lanka lives the Sloth bear." "No one really knows how many still survive." "For thousands of years, the Asiatic black bear has been hunted for its organs, believed by some to hold magical healing powers." "The smallest of all the bears is the Sun Bear." "Its fate is tied to the vanishing jungles of Southeast Asia." "Despite efforts by organizations like the San Diego Zoo and the Smithsonian Institution, the Giant Panda hovers on the brink of extinction." "Of the 8 species of bears in the world, 3 are found in North America." "Here, the magic of these creatures lives on." "Alaska has over 30,000 brown bears - one of the highest populations in the world, and that's exactly why Chris Day has made it her home." "Chris is a naturalist and wilderness guide who's lived among wild bears for nearly 15 years." "Her approach to these creatures is unusual." "I worry about the bears all winter long." "I wonder how they're doing and how many cubs have been born." "In the spring, I just can't wait to get out and see them." "Brown bears are found across much of the Northern Hemisphere." "In North America, they're often called Grizzlies." "In this part of Southwestern Alaska, thousands leave their dens every spring and Chris has become an expert at knowing where to find them." "The saddest thing for me is that every year, some of the bears I've come to know don't show up in the spring." "This bone can provide information on the size and condition of the bear, but it won't tell me which one it was." "I just hope that it doesn't belong to one of my favorite bears." "Chris's extensive experience with the bears of this area has allowed her to watch them safely at close range." "Over the years they've become accustomed to her, and Chris has given them names to help identify them." "Solstice is a 10 year old female that I've known since she was just a cubs." "I was afraid our relationship would change when she had her own cubs, but it hasn't." "From the beginning I've been lucky enough to watch them grow up too." "In Alaska, cubs usually stay with their mother for two or three years before they go out on their own." "Last spring, when they were only six-month's old," "I could already see the differences between them." "One cub was pretty timid and stayed close to Mom." "The other was much more adventurous, a lot like Solstice when she was a cub." "In all the years that I've spent with the bears, watching them fight, play, raising their young," "I've felt a lot of emotions." "But I've never felt afraid." "I've never once felt threatened by a bear." "Understanding the personalities of individual bears is crucial to Chris's success as a guide." "Before she can safely bring people out to see the bears, she must be confidant about how the animals will react." "Her approach is a combination of caution, patience, and tremendous respect." "Chris's attitude may seem unusual today, but in the past, many of North America's Native Peoples had a close relationship with the bear." "The spirit of the bear held the power to heal, the power to protect, and the power to bring forth the seasons." "Every fall they watched the bears disappear as if entering the grave, and then miraculously return from the dead, bringing with them the spring and new life." "In the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana, this black bear has given birth, nursed her cubs, and survived six months of winter without food or water." "Few creatures on Earth can match this miracle of physiology." "Hungry as she is, the mother's urge to find food is overridden by her need to stay close to her helpless cubs." "At 6 weeks old, the cubs only just opened their eyes, but it won't be long before they'll get a closer look at their big back yard." "Black bears are found in the forests across North America, and their number one defense is to climb a tree, but it's not something you learn your first day at school." "The black bear is the smallest of the North American bears." "Though their diet is largely vegetarian, they are omnivores, and like humans, they will eat just about anything." "High in protein, ants provide a perfect snack for a nursing mother, with two high-energy cubs." "A black bear's back yard is as big as its appetite." "The mother will follow her nose and her memory in an endless search for food." "These cubs have never set foot in water, however, they have no choice but to keep up." "The first summer is the biggest test a cub will face." "Their chances of surviving are only about 50/50." "To the Inuit people of the Arctic, the most powerful animal in their world was the polar bear." "It was believed their spirits were interchangeable that human and beast were one." "Like them, the bear stood upright to face its foes." "Like them, it roamed the frozen ocean in search of seals, a solitary giant at the top of the world." "In the northern parts of their range, some bears never set foot on land." "Further south, it's a different story." "In the spring, as the ice disappears along Hudson Bay in Northern Canada, the bears are forced ashore." "This year, the melt has come early during the peak of the seal hunt." "The polar bear is the largest land predator in the world." "The true giants weigh nearly a ton." "While spring is a time of plenty for many species of bear, for these bears, it's the start of famine." "With time on their hands, cubs find ways of amusing themselves." "When hunting and breeding, males are savage foes, but marooned together on land, they become tolerant playmates, engaged in." "Rolling ballets of teeth and claw, strange tangos on the tundra." "The Inuit believed that the polar bear roamed the entire world during the dark of winter, and magically returned to the Arctic with the spring sun." "Their name for the bear was Nanook." "The Native peoples knew the bear by many names." "The Blackfeet Indians called the black bear Kyaio, meaning bear." "They called the grizzly Nita Kyaio which meant" " Real Bear." "The scientific name for the grizzly is Ursus arctos horribilis." "This part of Alaska is one of the best and safest bear viewing areas in the world." "Guided by experts like Chris Day, every summer a lucky few get the experience of a lifetime." "I bring people out to see the bears because I feel it's the best way to change how we look at these animals." "When we first start out, people are apprehensive, and some are really afraid." "But when they see their first bear, they begin to relax and even enjoy themselves." "Grizzly bears are often portrayed only as fierce predators and hunters, but the truth is much less exciting." "When they first come out of their dens, they feed mostly on a grass-like vegetation called sedge." "In some ways they are more cow-like than killer." "Males are nearly twice the size of females." "For most of the year, females avoid the close company of their potentially dangerous mates, but as summer approaches the attraction becomes irresistible." "It's the only friendly contact they'll have." "After fertilization, the male plays no role in parenting." "All grizzlies are opportunistic feeders." "Clams may not provide much in the way of nourishment, but they're a delicacy, a welcome break from a diet of sedge salad." "The bear's six-inch claws combine the brute force of a shovel, with the fine precision of a scalpel." "As summer approaches in Alaska, a long awaited signal goes out across the land, like a special invitation to a dinner party." "The river begins to swell with salmon returning to their ancestral spawning grounds." "For the bears, it's an event not to be missed." "For Chris Day, it's a chance to introduce new friends to old." "Sometimes we just really get lucky." "The right people, the right situation and the right bear." "Scrappy is a 5 year old." "I've been watching him at this stream since he was a cub and he still hasn't quite figured out the best fishing technique." "In some ways, juvenile bears are a lot like teenage kids." "They're really impatient and don't always get what they want." "Scrappy's one of the most easy-going bears I've known." "Most of the time, he's more tolerant of us than he is of the other bears." "The grizzly has had a rough ride in many parts of North America." "South of Canada, they've been eliminated from over 98% of their former range." "Chris has been working to promote the protection of the remaining bears and their habitats." "If I can give other people the opportunity to see bears as I have," "I know the bears will do the rest." "They'll dispel the myths and I hope that every one of those people leaves as an ambassador for the bears." "Bear attacks on humans, although rare, usually happen through carelessness or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time." "Any creature that intrudes on a grizzly feast puts itself in peril." "This applies to both man and beast." "Though bears have stayed true to their nature, we have painted them in all sorts of different lights." "They were persecuted for centuries and driven out of many parts of the world." "It was a chance encounter to helped turn the tide of feeling." "A hunting trip brought Teddy Roosevelt muzzle to muzzle with a cub." "In a moment of compassion, the American President chose not to shoot the defenseless animal." "The story spread and led to the creation of a new toy in his honour - the Teddy Bear." "It was a spark of hope for bears everywhere." "Today, many organizations, including the National Wildlife Federation, are supporting plans to re-introduce the grizzly to the Bitterroot Mountains, now the exclusive domain of the black bear." "Against the odds, both black bear cubs have made it through their first season." "Across North America, the black bear's biggest threat is habitat loss as forests give way to development." "The bears have done all they can to prepare for the coming winter." "It's up to us to ensure that they always have a place to return to in the spring." "The polar bear faces threats of a very different nature." "As winter begins to take hold along Hudson Bay, the hungry bears are restless, waiting for the ice to form, and the seal hunt to begin." "The famine is almost over." "The long fast has been especially hard on nursing mothers who have been sustaining the entire family on their reserves of fat." "A cub's greatest danger at this time of year is from other bears." "For the polar bear, most dangers are easily outrun, but some are beyond their control." "Global warming is starting to take its toll on Arctic ice conditions, reducing the amount of time these bears are able to hunt on the frozen ocean." "Over the past decade, their seal hunting season has been getting shorter and shorter, and their average weight and rate of reproduction have begun to drop." "The Inuit believe that polar bears have the power to see the future." "If so, what future might these bears see for themselves?" "I think the future of the grizzly really depend on us." "I was so lucky that my first bear experience was at McNeil River." "It's a place where the bears are in charge and we have the privilege of being observers." "To me it's one of the great wonders of the world." "It's a place that gives me hope." "For over 40 years, McNeil River has been a sanctuary for Alaskan bears." "Each summer, nearly a hundred Grizzlies gather here to fish for salmon." "Somehow, the bears know when to show up." "These males are some of the biggest grizzlies on the planet." "They're loners as a rule, but they overcome their natural dislike of each other for a place at the table." "The biggest and most dominant bears get the best spots, and they return year after year to reclaim their seats." "There's a lot riding on the success of this banquet." "It must sustain them through the coming winter." "As long as the salmon run, these great beasts will continue to return, a constellation of giants, helping to keep alive the magic of the bear on Earth." "It's my hope that a thousand years from now, someone will still be able to stand in this place and see what I've seen, and even feel what I've felt." "And I hope that we'll have learned to live in harmony with the bears, and that we'll have left them the space they need to survive." "Bears are more than just mythical beasts." "They are a sign of the health and balance of the wild places they inhabit." "They are the spirit of the wilderness." "The Blackfeet Indians believed that the bear was a guardian spirit that could heal and protect you." "Perhaps it's our turn to be the guardian spirits of the bear."