Xploration Awesome Planet Season 4 Episode 13 Grizzlies of British Colombia

Located in the Pacific Northwest of North America lies British Columbia, Canada, a land so rich with towering mountains, sweeping glaciers, and cascading waterfalls that it’s considered one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. But this awe-inspiring wilderness is not only home to some of the most iconic landscapes on the planet; it’s also home to an animal so formidable it has been revered by humans for thousands of years - the grizzly bear.

In this episode of Xploration Awesome Planet, host Philippe Cousteau Jr. ventures into the vast wilderness of British Columbia to unravel the mystery of the region’s grizzly bears. He starts his journey by heading to Knight Inlet, one of the few remaining areas in the province where people can observe these incredible creatures in their natural habitat. With his biologist guide Nikki, Philippe sets out on the water to look for their first sighting.

After 45 minutes on the boat, the duo finally spots a mother grizzly bear and her two cubs huddled together on the beach. Nikki explains that grizzly mothers will often keep their cubs hidden in the dense forest for the first few months before bringing them out to hunt and socialize. This sighting is a rare sight to see.

The Xploration Awesome Planet team then heads to the Great Bear Rainforest, one of the largest remaining tracts of coastal temperate rainforest in the world. This forest holds a unique ecosystem that supports grizzlies as well as rare animals like the Kermode bear (also known as the spirit bear).

But grizzlies here are facing a new threat - the decline of salmon populations. Due to overfishing, habitat destruction and warming ocean temperatures, the salmon that once thrived in this region and supplied the grizzlies with their food have dwindled and the grizzlies are now forced to forage other food sources. Philippe and Nikki investigate the fragile balance between the grizzlies and their habitat to understand what is being done to help preserve the species.

In an effort to better understand the biology and behavior of grizzlies, Philippe also visits a grizzly bear research center. Here, he meets with Roy Rea, a biologist at the center who uses GPS tracking to monitor the movements of grizzly bears in the region. With these tracking collars, researchers can gather information about the bears’ feeding habits, mating patterns, and range areas. They can also target areas in need of protection. This new technology gives researchers a better way to understand and manage the needs of grizzly bears.

Finally, Philippe heads to a bear-viewing area in British Columbia to witness one of the most incredible spectacles of the grizzly bears - the salmon run. Each fall, millions of Pacific salmon return to their spawning grounds in the rivers of British Columbia. In this area, grizzlies congregate to gorge themselves on the rich and much-needed supply of protein that the fish provide. Philippe gets to witness the awesome power and might of a grizzly as one catches a salmon.

Through his journey, Philippe discovers how vital grizzlies are to the ecosystem and how their survival depends not only on preserving their habitat but also on our ability to protect the salmon that sustain them. This episode of Xploration Awesome Planet reveals the breathtaking beauty of one of the most awe-inspiring regions in the world while examining the struggles that the grizzlies of British Columbia face.