Alaska’s Brooks River is known for the abundance of bears that hunt salmon in its rapids and live alongside its banks. Several bears flood the area each year and although big males do sometimes tussle over territory, for the most part, the bears co-exist peacefully. "For the amount of chaos and conflict that could happen, it just doesn't," says wildlife filmmaker Kelsey Eliasson in a behind-the-scenes video from the filming of Bears: Ultimate Survivors.
Rival bears are not the only neighbours these bruins must deal with – oftentimes the animals hunt and roam in close proximity to humans. Thankfully, there are few incidents where people and bears clash. For Eliasson, it's further proof that these animals are not out to get us and we simply have to respect their space.
Watch the clip here:
Watch the rest of the behind-the-scenes series here, or learn more about Bears: Ultimate Survivors.