Above: Don’t be
fooled by their
unassuming
appearance: caribou
are the strongest
swimmers and fastest
runners in the deer
family
Right: Grizzly bears’
claws can be up to
10 cm (4 in) long,
which is about the size
of a human finger
Caribou Calves
There’s something magical about caribou—
aka reindeer—and it’s not just their connection
to Santa Claus. Maybe it’s the fact that these
gangly cuties hit the ground running: day-old
caribou calves can outrun humans without
breaking a sweat. Or maybe it’s because they’re
the only species of deer with equal-opportunity
antlers, where both male and female calves
grow a rack of their own before puberty.
Caribou calves also share a deep bond with
their mothers. no matter how large the herd,
they stick together, running alongside each
other during migration.
Woodland caribou in boreal forests across
Canada—like the Maligne Range or Tonquin
Valley in Jasper national Park—don’t have to
worry too much about getting lost on family
road trips, but in the Yukon, the porcupine
caribou migrate up to 4,800 km (2,980 mi)
each year—the greatest distance travelled by
any land mammal in the world. Fortunately,
calves can count on their mothers’ sensitive (if
unusually hairy) noses to track them down if
they get separated.
16 Rocky Mountaineer Magazine 2018
Bear Cubs
Ursine characters like Winnie the Pooh are
charming, but there’s no substitute for the real
thing—especially when it comes in adorable
cub form. The Canadian Rockies are home to
both mild-mannered black bears and the more
defensive grizzly bears. Born in litters of one to
four throughout January and February, they’re
surprisingly tiny: newborn grizzlies weigh
one pound, while black bear cubs weigh half
that, which is about 15 times smaller than the
average human infant. Five to seven weeks
later, cubs open their eyes for the first time.
Cubs toddle out of the den in the spring,
learning how to swim, move through seasonal
habitats and track down food. grizzly cubs get
at least three years of training, but black bear
cubs are on their own at 18 months.
When you see black bears foraging on
roadsides and in town, give them plenty of
space. if an up-close encounter is one of your
“bear” necessities, visit grinder and Coola, the
rescued grizzly orphans at grouse Mountain in
north Vancouver. Or contact Tourism Whistler
for a black bear viewing tour.