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    Big oil and the future of the Great Bear Rainforest.

    Photos from Canada

    There are [5] photos from Canada

    The deep tracks of a large adult grizzly beside a rainforest stream are evidence of a bear searching for salmon. Grizzlies get as much as 65 percent of their yearly calories from these oily fish. Nobody knows exactly what would happen if an oil spill happened here, but most people suspect that salmon populations would collapse, leaving the great bears and the entire ecosystem, in jeopardy. Views[220] With its mouth and paws stained from the blood of salmon, a spirit bear takes a break to shake the rain from its fur. This rare subspecies of American black bear, with a recessive gene for white fur, is only found in the Great Bear Rainforest. With a population estimated at just 400 animals, an oil spill here could have grave consequences for the spirit bear's future. Views[518] After avoiding hungry predators like seals, wolves and bears on their upstream migration to spawn and die, the carcasses of chum salmon are swept downstream and pile up on a boulder. Bears and scavengers spread salmon carcasses into the surrounding forest, where the nutrients from their decaying bodies will fertilize the trees. Meanwhile the forest regulates the waters that rear the next generation of salmon. Ocean and forest are not distinct entities here - they nourish each other in a continuum. Views[432] The British Columbia coastline is etched with steep, narrow fjords that rise straight up from the ocean to dizzying heights. These narrow passageways may be beautiful, but the tight spaces and treacherous currents they create are also a hazard to marine navigation. In 2006, the Queen of the North ferry struck an island and sank. Now, a proposal to ship oil in supertankers through this wild region has sparked fears of an oil spill. Views[843] In the heart of British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest, a young female grizzly bear explores a fallen log. The Great Bear is the largest piece of coastal temperate rainforest left on Earth. While grizzlies have been eradicated from most of their former range in North America, this region is one of their remaining strongholds. With an abundance of food, grizzlies in this region are larger and live in much higher densities than in other regions. Views[957]
     

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