Ian McAllister (1)

This is a great informational book about the bears of Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia. It follows a year of seasons and gives a wide variety of information about Grizzly Bears, Black Bears, and Spirit Bears. It also gives a good sampling of information about the ecosystem of Great Bear Rainforest and the conservation needs to protect these amazing bears. This book is the first place that I heard of Spirit Bears. I especially loved the "Just the Bear Facts" side bars which gave additional context to the information in the book or answered questions related to the information in the chapter.… (más)

4.5 stars

The author is a photographer and lives on the northern coast of British Columbia. He has taken many wildlife photos and helped with studies of the local wolf populations where he is. This is a coffee-table-style book with plenty of large photographs, alongside information about the wolves, and an epilogue that includes information about the destruction and conservation of the area.

Oh, they are beautiful. And sadly, so vilified. I hate people. I hate hunters – there are stories in the epilogue of some awful hunters. I hate the humans behind the companies that only want to make money and don’t care what they destroy to do it, as they destroy the habitats for most animals. These wolves are in an area that is less disturbed by humans, but it’s hard to say if that will last.

Getting beyond that, the wolves and the photos are beautiful. The area itself is beautiful, and there are a few photos that are not of the wolves, though of course, the bulk of the photos are. The information about the wolves was interesting – I didn’t know that wolves and ravens have a symbiotic relationship; wolves will hunt and eat many birds, but there has never been remains of ravens found in their scat. There is also a 20-ish minute DVD included with the book, a short documentary that says some of the same as what the book says, but of course the “photos” are now a video. And have I mentioned how beautiful they are!?… (más)

Stunning photos and clear, fascinating prose with well-placed sidebars, and captions that reiterate and support the text. I learned much of wolves, including particulars on the packs of the Great Bear Rainforest. The wolf packs' territories are so strong that a pack will stop chasing prey if it crosses the boundary of another pack. I also didn't know how tied they are to salmon as a food source, especially the wolves that lives on islands or the coast. Yes, they eat a wide variety of foods, including deer, otters, rodents, seafood, but salmon are critical during the fall runs. The Great Basin Rainforest is a unique area as there is very little temperate rainforest remaining in the world, but receives little protection. Clear cutting is still prominent, and the wolves are not protected from hunting or killing. The author and photographer hope they're work will encourage people to fight for the GBR and all its life: "So as you can now see, wolves - and particularly coastal wolves - aren't big and bad in the way so many stories say. If we don't take real steps to safeguard them and the great green forest in which they roam, the only places where they'll remain will be in stories and books - like this one." Includes maps, and backmatter with resources.… (más)