Discover Sooke

Yesterday we drove around the Sooke area taking photos for various new sections on the Discover Sooke website and ended up stopping by the Sooke Potholes. As we pulled into the parking lot another couple was already out of their car with camera in hand taking pictures of a black bear standing at the entrance to the park, just past the gate. I’ve seen plenty of black bears before and I’m quite certain that seeing a black bear at the potholes near the river after the Salmon run is not uncommon, however what was impressive is their ability to climb the rock faces next to the road.

I suppose I shouldn’t have been that surprised given the sheer strength of these creatures with claws the size of my head, but the bear did it so effortlessly. He even had that look of, “Thanks buddy, I wasn’t done eating my Salmon dinner and now I have to leave!”.

As he was climbing up the rocks, sauntering through the thin brush he kept looking back, making sure we weren’t following him and when he got high enough, he sat on the ledge, perched on the overhang staring at us. Maybe he was questioning the taste of human flesh to his preferred Salmon snack. I don’t know, but I was glad there was a 50 feet cliff in front of him and us.

Mrs. Discover Sooke grabbed her camera and took a few shots of this magnificent creature. The photo you see below is the best one to show the distance we were away from it.

I ask the Discover Sooke readers, where are your best places in the Sooke area to spot these creatures? If you know of any, please feel free to share in the comments sections.

And if anyone decides to look for them, PLEASE be aware that while they are cute and cuddly, these animals are wild and they are very much larger than you and I combined. Please keep your distance and never back them into a corner. Stay in your vehicle or get back to your vehicle if you start to get the feeling the bear is getting annoyed. While these are beautiful creatures, it’s much nicer to see them from a distance.

As always, please be sure to check out the Official Discover Sooke Tourism website here for more information.

Voila! A black bear for your viewing pleasure.

Black Bear at Sooke Potholes

Filed under: Latest News on December 1st, 2008