West Coast Now
Check out this stunning image by photographer Adam Rice of sockeye salmon evading a brown bear in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve.
The photograph, called “Bear bonanza,” won recognition in the “highly commended” category in the famous Wildlife Photographer of the Year international competition, developed and produced by the Natural History Museum in London, England.
“After finding the perfect vantage point to convey the struggle, Adam caught the Sun at the perfect angle to light the scene,” wrote the museum in a story about the image. “This bear’s strategy of repeatedly swimming through a vast school might not have been the best, as Adam observed how ‘the fish always seemed just out of reach’.”
“Brown bears adopt various hunting tactics, from pinning the salmon down in shallow water or waiting to seize them as they leap upstream to stealing catches off other bears. A large, successful bear might consume 30 or more fish a day, eating just the richest pickings – the skin, brain and eggs – and discarding the rest,” the museum wrote.
To see the rest of the winning images you can buy a ticket to the exhibit in England – or simply view from your armchair, on the museum’s website.
All of the winning images will eventually be on exhibit in Victoria, at the Royal BC Museum. Watch the provincial museum’s website for details and the date, yet to be announced.
Any photographer, anywhere in the world, is invited to enter next year’s competition, which closes on December 8th. The winners receive global recognition and, for the top prizes, money and a trip to London for the awards ceremony.
