Thanks to Covid I hadn’t had a chance to visit my favourite grizzly bears in a long time. I finally saw them yesterday and they look fantastic. They seem to be handling this heat wave well, spending lots of time in the ponds. They turned 20 this year which might be old for a bear in the wild but because they receive such good care at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife they could live another 20 years. I sure hope they do. I have spent many hours viewing these bears and the experience never grows old.
I was also delighted to see that Grouse Mountain is selling lots of copies of our book The Grizzlies of Grouse Mountain to the many visitors who venture up the mountain. Those visitors will be able to share the wonderful story of how the refuge was built to house the two orphaned bear cubs. My co-author and I donate all our royalties to the Grizzly Bear Foundation so it’s a win for grizzly bears, too.
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But they must wonder, where are all the people? Most years thousands of tourists flock to this mountain resort to view them, to feel their magnificent presence and to learn the importance of protecting this species. But this spring the resort is closed due to the coronavirus. Hopefully we’ll be able to go see them again soon. In the meantime, if you want to know more about these two bears and their journey to Grouse Mountain, you can read my book, The Grizzlies of Grouse Mountain (The True Adventures of Coola and Grinder,) co-written with Rae Schidlo and illustrated by Linda Sharp.
This is the front cover of our soon-to-be published book. (Heritage House, Spring 2019) It’s the story of grizzly bears Coola and Grinder who live at the Refuge for Endangered Wildlife on Grouse Mountain. It explains how they came to be there and what we have learned from studying their behaviour. Linda Sharp’s illustrations, including this one, are breathtaking! I can’t wait to share this with all those locals and tourists who love these bears.
