TODO
Before we set off for Vancouver Island, we could read in every travel guide that more bears than people live on Vancouver Island. Interestingly, only black bears roam the island, while both black and grizzly bears are found on the Canadian mainland. Despite extensive research, I couldn't find a satisfactory answer as to why this is the case. In any case, on the second day, we saw a total of three bears, all leisurely nibbling on some grasses by the roadside.
That seems to be a popular activity for black bears. Since we were at a safe distance in our car, we were able to take photos at our leisure. Then another tourist stopped behind us, and to our horror, she got out of her car and approached the bear within just a few meters to take a photo with her iPhone. She crept up and gestured for us to be quiet. We shook our heads in disbelief and drove away. Approaching a bear and startling it is about the dumbest thing you can do. Bears usually notice people from a distance and ignore them because they have a keen sense of smell. However, if you get too close and they feel threatened, it usually ends badly.
During our trip, we saw on average one to two bears daily, especially when we were in the northern part of the island, as the conditions there are particularly idyllic: forests as far as the eye can see and hardly any people. Once, we were hiking through dense forest, came to a clearing, and saw a bear in a meadow, maybe 100 meters away. Fortunately, there was a stream between us. The most absurd encounter with a black bear we had was when we were comfortably settled in a pub in the small town of Telegraph Cove. The town is built on stilts in the water at the edge of a bay, and wooden walkways connect the houses. We were sitting inside the pub and saw tourists on the terrace jump up and grab their cameras. A bear had jumped out of the water, carrying a fish in its mouth, and was leisurely strolling over the village's wooden walkways towards the forest. Even the pub staff seemed surprised and confirmed that this had never happened before.
The residents of Vancouver Island generally live in peaceful coexistence with their bears. While in Alaska, we always carried a can of bear spray on the advice of the locals. Rundbrief 05/2006 On Vancouver Island, people are simply advised to make noise during encounters with bears so that the bear knows someone is coming. We always hiked obediently through the forest with bear bells on our backpacks, but we met many who did without these softly jingling safety precautions.