| Wildlife and the Guiding
Experience
Our evening wildlife tour always
starts with two things: a question regarding what the guests
expect to see and a “reality
check” explaining what we are likely to see. In simple
terms: bears or no bears?
As we cruise through “bear country” looking
for, seeing signs of (fresh scat on the road side), learning
about, but not seeing … a bear, another animal makes
an entrance. A pair of coyotes nervously watch over their
shoulders, from a knoll overlooking the road. They sense
danger. I pull over and shut down the engine. We watch them.
Suddenly, not 20 meters away, a
grizzly bear emerges from the bushes and pauses on the
shoulder of the road. We react
in unison, “A bear!” He turns away and disappears
back into the bush. Five seconds is all we saw of him. The
coyotes move on. We linger.
Not one camera captured this awesome animal, but he was
clearly embedded in our minds.
For half an hour the excitement
remains, guests share what they saw and, more importantly,
what they felt. Questions
flow. As we return to their hotel drop-offs they shake my
hand and thank me “so much” for the experience.
But it had little to do with me – just being in the
right place for the right 5 seconds.
Tours within our national parks
often encounter wildlife, but each experience is unpredictable.
Interpretive guides
generally know where various animals are being seen regularly,
but that still doesn’t guarantee a sighting. Each chance
encounter, therefore, provides the guest with an experience
they had hoped for. For the guide it is an opportunity to
share his understanding about the very special nature of
our wildlife and the challenges involved in protecting them.
And on the days we see a bear – even the guides get
excited.
Frank Gee
Operations Manager
Discover Banff Tours
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