Berry Bears

It’s blueberry season again, and the Black Bears in Algonquin Park, in Ontario, and all across Canada are filling up with the sweet treats.

Blueberries play a major role as a healthy food source for bears, so it is very important that the weather cooperate and provide enough rain to help the plants grow and produce a healthy yearly crop.

As things have turned out this year, we are in the midst of a major drought across Ontario and most of Canada, with next to no rain falling and the constant threat of wildfires everywhere. Fortunately, however, we did have good rainfall in the spring, and as a result, there is a good blueberry crop growing in places like Algonquin Park.

It is hard to believe that such massive animals as Black Bears actually depend upon little wild blueberries to survive. As Ontario Parks points out, “90 percent of a bear’s diet comes from eating wild berries such as blueberries, raspberries, wild cherries, and blackberries.”

We can certainly attest to the fact that bears eagerly forage for any form of wild berries.  We have watched different bears eating an assortment of the wild fruits across Canada.

We observed this Black Bear in Jasper National Park while it busily slurped up some wild red berries.

The Bear was making sure to nab all of the small red fruits as it sat enjoying the haul.

It was particularly satisfying to observe a sow with two small cubs as they gleaned mouthfuls of blueberries.

As many of us already know, blueberries are known as a “superfood”, a very healthy thing to eat because they are packed with antioxidants. As it turns out, wild lowbush blueberries contain more antioxidants than highbush blueberries grown on blueberry farms.

On occasion, Bob and I have seen young cubs with their mother near wild blueberry patches.  The bears can be very difficult to spot as they blend in with the shadows or are hidden below tall bracken.  One place to check is beneath any nearby trees where bears often seek shade.  Cubs, being playful, may even climb into the low hanging tree limbs.

Early in the summer, Black Bears turn to eating wild strawberries. During one hike on the Carden Alvar in Ontario, we happened upon this momma bear with her three cubs foraging for wild strawberries in a meadow. The sow stood tall to check us out far across the distance.  So as not to disturb the foursome, Bob and I moved slowly away making sure to avoid eye contact with the mother bear but at the same time trying to monitor the bears’ movements.

It is key to keep your distance when observing and photographing Black Bears.  To accidentally get between a sow and her cubs could have a mother bear fearing for her cubs’ safety.  She will take action against any offenders.  We have never been charged by a bear, but we know of people who have been so it is key to stay back and stay safe.

So how much do you think a Black Bear must consume every day to prepare for its long winter nap? According to Ontario Parks, they consume up to 20,000 calories a day. By comparison, humans eat on average between 1,500 and 2,100 calories per day.  That represents a ton of blueberries.

Given the number of forest fires this year and loss of appropriate habitat, Black Bears are relying heavily on wild blueberry patches to pack on weight ahead of the long, cold winter.  It will be many lean months before they can find food in such abundance again.

Frame To Frame – Bob and Jean