And... here's more! Be warned, it's a long list!
The Way of the Grizzly (Worldlife Discovery Guides) (Paperback) by Tom Walker, Larry Aumiller - River of Bears is excellent. It takes us beneath the surface, into bears' lives, and into their worlds. Anyone interested in bears will come away from this book more richly aware of bears and of the important opportunities for saving the landscapes that have for centuries made it possible for the world's wild bears to save themselves.
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www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0896584038/102-9394407-7544115?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glanceSpirit Bear: Encounters With the White Bear of the Western Rainforest (Paperback) by Andy Russell (Foreword), Charles Russell - Princess Royal Island, an uninhabited spot of land off the coast of British Columbia, is the home of the rare Kermode bear, a variety of grizzly bear. Also called the white, ghost, or spirit bear, it has long been the subject of myth, curiosity, and fascination to humans. Until recently, these animals had never been exposed to civilization.
Now reissued with a new introduction by the author, Spirit Bear is the story of Charles Russell's quest to forge a unique relationship of mutual trust with the rare spirit bear of Princess Royal Island. Russell was on the island to help Jeff and Sue Turner with their film, Island of the Ghost Bear. During the course of the shoot, he became intrigued with, and eventually befriended the shy young Spirit Bear who was the subject of the film. Russell has spent many years studying bears in their natural habitat. In this book he describes his early encounters, shared with his father, well-known writer Andy Russell, with bears in the Rockies and Alaska, and his encounters with grizzlies in British Columbia's Khutzeymateen Valley. This wonderful book, which is illustrated with 100 breathtaking color photographs, is part of an ongoing effort by conservationists to save Princess Royal Island as a sanctuary for the Kermode bear.
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www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1552634574/102-9394407-7544115?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glanceThe Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species (Paperback) by L. David Mech - Since the dawn of history, no other living thing (save, possibly, the snake) has been as reviled by humankind as the wolf. Still, wolves and people have been drawn to each other since the beginning. Canis lupus bounds through our folklore, howls in our dreams, and--occasionally--competes with us on the hunt. As one zoologist imagines it: "Through the cold of winter the wolf made music in the mysterious darkness and sometimes, in curiosity, sat just beyond the dwindling circle of firelight and watched." The curiosity was mutual; this is the feared animal, ironically, that gave rise to man's best friend. Yet only recently has science begun to understand these complex social mammals. Enter biologist L. David Mech. Years of research during the 1960s in Michigan's Isle Royale National Park provided Mech with a level of firsthand knowledge shared by few in the field. In 1970 he compiled his findings (updated in 1980) into the preeminent document of its kind. Thomas McNamee, author of The Return of the Wolf to Yellowstone, calls the book the "best single source of information on wolf biology," and refers to its author as "the undisputed king of wolf research." When government officials in the early 1990s decided to embark on an ambitious project to reintroduce wolves into their former range of Yellowstone National Park, they called on Mech's expertise. All this is to say that, if you want to learn about wolves, you cannot ignore this seminal work or its author. Chapters cover wolf evolution, range, and physiology; society and pack behavior; reproduction; hunting and predator-prey relationships; and the species' uncertain future. Like any self-respecting scientist, Mech includes all the hard data, but he presents his work in an engaging manner that is accessible to a broader audience, drawing heavily on anecdotes and personal experience.
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www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0816610266/102-9394407-7544115?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glanceWolves (Large Format) (1999) - DVD
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www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000067D0C/102-9394407-7544115?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glanceTo the Top of the World : Adventures with Arctic Wolves (Hardcover) by Jim Brandenburg - Wildlife photographer Brandenburg's account of a summer he spent near the Arctic Circle with a pack of white wolves is spirited by wildness, discovery and danger, yet also gentled by awe, mutual respect and profound emotion. "Thrilled" at the prospect of knowing wolves "that hadn't learned to fear humans," Brandenburg slips into their world without interrupting it and captures their behaviors, personalities and intelligence in word pictures nearly as descriptive and articulate as his photography. On the musicality of howling: "Every wolf avoided hitting the same note . . . . When this happened by accident, one of the voices would frantically shuffle about until discord could be achieved once again." Although wary of anthropomorphism, Brandenburg writes that "animals undoubtedly have more feelings than we give them credit for." This subtle, underlying persuasion, while never overwrought, gives the book a magnetic appeal. Ages 8-up.
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www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0802774628/102-9394407-7544115?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glanceWhere the Grizzly Walks: The Future of the Great Bear (Hardcover) by Bill Schneider - Admired for its majesty and often feared for its strength, speed, and supposed aggressiveness, the grizzly bear was once unchallenged as the great apex predator of the American West. But by the 1970s, hunting and habitat loss had reduced its numbers in the lower 48 states to a mere 800 animals occupying just two percent of the bear's former range. Where the Grizzly Walks assesses the bear's current status and its uncertain future at the beginning of the 21st century. Focusing on the wildlife professionals who struggle to achieve a balance among the varied interests of government agencies, private landowners, politicians, and environmentalists, the author illuminates the enormous challenges in making sensible public policy for the management of a high-profile, threatened species--and one of the last great symbols of the American wilderness.
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www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0762726024/102-9394407-7544115?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glanceAlaska - Spirit of the Wild (Large Format) (1996) - DVD
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www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/6305461821/102-9394407-7544115?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glanceIn the Shadow of a Rainbow: The True Story of a Friendship Between Man and Wolf (Paperback) by Robert Franklin Leslie
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www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0393314529/102-9394407-7544115?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glanceBears of Alaska (Paperback) by Erwin A. Bauer, Peggy Bauer - The Bauers, well-known wildlife photographers, turn their lenses to Alaska's three bear species: brown (or grizzly), black, and polar. Justifiably proud of the fact that they spend hours in the field to obtain their photographs--instead of relying on photo manipulation--the authors provide a nice series of images of bears in the wild. Concentrating on the inland grizzlies and their cousins the browns as the most commonly seen species, the photos show the bears in many moods. Pictures of young cubs with their mothers and older cubs learning to fish are among the book's most appealing images. Polar bears are less numerous than the other two species and are found in more remote areas, so are represented by fewer photographs. Well-written captions accompany each photo, explaining the natural history behind the scene, and introductory text provides background on each species. Short sections list the best bear-viewing sites in Alaska and give tips for viewing bears safely.
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www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1570612862/102-9394407-7544115?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glanceBeauty Within the Beast: Kinship With Bears in the Alaska Wilderness (Paperback) by Stephen Stringham - An innocent act of kindness turns a bear into a dangerous marauder and when she is killed she leaves her three cubs without a mother. Stephen Stringham and his new bride decided to raise these three orphan cubs in the Alaska wilderness. Together, they taught Ontak, Chrislee, and Jonjoanak about which plants they could eat and how to fish and hunt. Dr. Stringham's extensive scientific background made him an ideal teacher of the foraging skills and the social skills they would need to live in a bear's world. In the process of teaching them, Stringham learns from the cubs how bears express fear, anger, and how to appease defensive bears and intimidate the aggressive ones.
He and his wife would develop trust and respect through their affection and play, helping to heal the cubs' emotional wounds and decrease their aggression and violence. As the Springhams' bond with their furry charges deepens, they realize that it is a connection that is all too uncommon between people and animals. When Dr. Stringham is told by the Department of Fish and Game to destroy the bears, the depth of that bond would be tested. Beauty within the Beast is a heartwarming true story of how people and animals can find common ground and live in harmony on earth.
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www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1931643105/102-9394407-7544115?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glanceAmong Grizzlies : Living with Wild Bears in Alaska (Paperback) by Timothy Treadwell, Jewel Palovak - Alaska has a population of more than 30,000 grizzly bears, almost all that survive in the United States. It makes sense that Australia-born bear lover Timothy Treadwell would make his way there, then. Among Grizzlies records his adventures among Alaskan bears over the last 10 years, and adventures they are: being awakened at dawn by curious grizzly cubs, being treed by irritated mama bears, being sized up by huge males as if for a midday snack. Treadwell's affection for Ursus arctos horribilis is abundant in these pages, and even if other grizzly specialists question aspects of his up-close-and-personal approach, you'll learn quite a lot about the bears in his book.
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www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0345426053/102-9394407-7544115?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glanceThe Grizzly Bear Family Book (The Animal Family Series) (Paperback) by Michio Hoshino, Karen Colligan-Taylor (Translator) - A year in the life of Alaskan grizzly bears is presented through the eyes of a superb nature photographer. Readers see the challenges each season brings; behavior and habitat are presented in both the outstanding full-color photographs and in the narrative. Hoshino is clearly an advocate of nature in general and of these enormous animals in particular; he scorns modern trophy hunters and takes some time out for philosophizing. His viewpoint borders on anthropomorphism at times as he watches the bears "...enjoy life to its fullest" and describes the "...love and tenderness the mother bear shows her cubs." The pictures, however, do back up these musings, which are not out of place in this personal essay. For history, science, and all of the facts, refer to Lynn M. Stone's Grizzlies (Carolrhoda, 1993). For gorgeous photography and a good story, supplement that title with this one.
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www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1558587012/102-9394407-7544115?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glanceGrizzly Seasons: Life With the Brown Bears of Kamchatka (Hardcover) by Charlie Russell, Maureen Enns, Charles Russell - Brown bears, among the largest land-based carnivores, have earned the reputation of being dangerous to humans. Naturalist Russell and his partner Enns, an artist, felt that bears and humans have been deliberately trained to fear each other and wanted to do a study that involved living with bears in an area where the bears had had little contact with people. After much searching and negotiating, they ended up on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east of Russia, home of one of the largest bear populations in the world. The duo built a cabin and spent some summers living with bears. The addition of three orphaned cubs, which the authors reared and rehabilitated to the wild, completed the study. The result is an extremely intimate look at the life of bears, as the cubs helped the authors to blend in with the local bears. Illustrated with Enns' beautiful close-up photographs, many of which are framed by the area's majestic scenery, this private look at the lives of wild bears is captivating.
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www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1552978567/102-9394407-7544115?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glanceThe Wolf Almanac (Paperback) by Robert H. Busch - Busch, a longtime student of wolves, gathers bits and pieces of lore, lots of biological facts and factoids, and a great deal of expert testimony on the behavior of our lupine friends. You'll learn from his pages that, given their druthers, wolves would sooner eat moose, buffalo, and deer than just about anything else; that wolves can travel 125 miles in a single day; and, sadly, that in Canada, at least as of 1995, the wolf is the only animal hunted year-round with no bag limits and no license requirements. This well-researched potpourri is must-have for fans of Canis lupus.
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www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1558215573/102-9394407-7544115?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glanceField Guide to the Grizzly Bear (Sasquatch Field Guide Series) (Paperback) by Great Bear Foundation, Lance Olsen - This guide dispels the myth that grizzly bears are the ferocious attackers some people believe them to be. Instead, it offers a comprehensive guide to acting safely when encountering them in grizzly country and to the pleasures of observing them in their natural habitats. Partial proceeds of this book support the Great Bear Foundation.
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www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0912365552/102-9394407-7544115?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glanceThat's it for now!