Video: Wolf sizes up bear in B.C. grasslands

They often say donsa国际传媒檛 poke the bear, but clearly this wolf never got the message.

Frank Ritcey, provincial coordinator of WildSafeBC, has seen and captured a lot of wildlife on film over the years, but he has never seen something like this.

sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檝e been filming for a long time, spent a lot of time out in the wild, but Isa国际传媒檝e never got to see something like this. This clear,sa国际传媒� says Ritcey. sa国际传媒淵ou go out enough times, you get lucky.sa国际传媒�

Last week he was hiking in the grasslands near Kamloops with his wife when she noticed a wolf in the field.

He decided to sneak a bit closer to catch the wolf on film when he realized his video was going to be a lot more interesting than he first thought when a smaller black bear walked into frame.

sa国际传媒淵ou are very luck to ever even see a wolf, especially up here, they are very secretive animals that donsa国际传媒檛 like to be around humans,sa国际传媒� says Ritcey.

sa国际传媒淪o just seeing a wolf was pretty good, but then to see a wolf and a bear together was pretty special.sa国际传媒�

Ritcey says the interaction between the bear and wolf was interesting to watch. He says wolves have been known to take on a bear as a pack, but donsa国际传媒檛 often attempt it one on one.

sa国际传媒淎 friend of mine who works with National Parks says they have had a number of reports of single wolves trying to attack bears. Theysa国际传媒檙e never successful, but they do do it,sa国际传媒� explains Ritcey.

sa国际传媒淎nimals in the wild are very cautious, the wolf isnsa国际传媒檛 going to get itself into a battle if it thinks it is going to lose. It is going to check out things.sa国际传媒�

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For those who believe the wolf didnsa国际传媒檛 stand a chance against the bear, Ritcey says you shouldnsa国际传媒檛 count it out.

sa国际传媒淲e tend to think of the bear as the apex predator, but a wolf is a very formidable opponent. Wolves, as a pack, will even drag grizzly bears off of kills. They are very agile,sa国际传媒� says Ritcey. sa国际传媒淎ny of us would have been pretty petrified if a bear ran at us, but the wolf knows what its capabilities are. It came, got in closer and closer until the bear swung at, it was testing the bear.sa国际传媒�

The wolf is seen in the video above running away to ensure it stays out of reach of the bear before it goes back to check out one more time before deciding it isnsa国际传媒檛 worth the fight and disappearing into the woods.

sa国际传媒淚 think the wolf made the decision the odds werensa国际传媒檛 good. If the rest of the pack were nearby, it may have turned out differently,sa国际传媒� adds Ritcey.

He knew this video was a special one and needed to be shared so he published on the on Sunday.

He says this time of year is a good one for the public to view bears at a safe distance.

sa国际传媒淲hen bears first emerge they primarily eat the fresh green grass,sa国际传媒� says Ritcey.

sa国际传媒淭hey are grazers, about 80 per cent of their diet is plant-based. So, anywhere you start to see fresh greenery is where you can see bears. Especially closer to evening and early in the morning.sa国际传媒�

WildSafeBC is a program owned and operated by the BC Conservation Foundation, is designed to help reduce human-wildlife conflict throughout the province.

sa国际传媒淭he clip has generated a lot of interest, and it helps us get out our message about keeping wildlife wild and communities safe,sa国际传媒� adds Ritcey.

sa国际传媒淪eeing wildlife behaving in a natural way out in the wilds is great, seeing bears in an urban setting is definitely not so great. Bears in an urban environment create safety concerns for both humans and bears so we try to help communities manage their attractants in a way that keeps bears from being drawn into town in the first place.sa国际传媒�

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