Each year from late June until the end of July, salmon numbering in the hundreds of thousands run into Brooks River. The bears concentrate at Brooks Falls where they compete for a chance at a fish. A few bears wait atop the lip of the falls to grab jumping salmon from the air as they clear the top, while several wait in the pools below the falls to grab salmon from the white water or to pin them against the bottom. Each bear must learn how to fit into the crowd of competing bears so that it gets enough food to prosper. Bears come to Brooks River to use a critical resource in their annual struggle to survive and reproduce.
People visit the river to enjoy a vacation from their own competitive world.
Both bears and humans are accustomed to being the dominant animal in their environment. The peaceful coexistence of these two species at such high densities is amazing, giving the often desperate nature of the competition among the bears. All Rights Reserved. Everything contained herein is from sources deemed reliable, but no responsibility can be assigned to us. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as an offering under the SEC Act of 1933.