About the Book

I first began drafting this book in 2022, and ended up re-writing it three separate times until I had the storyline that worked best with my vision. I began sorting and selecting photographs in early 2024, and after sifting through over 50,000 bear images, came up with a short-list of over 2000 pictures. Realizing that a 2000 page bear book would be a little too long, I sat down and finished writing the text. It took some time to complete but felt right to then select the best of my bear photos that fit into the story.

Wild Bears of Canada is largely based on my extensive and immersive experience as a seasoned wildlife guide and photographer. The book has 138 pages of first-hand stories from the field, carefully selected photographs, and thoughtful insights into the lives of polar bears, black bears, and grizzly bears

Drawing on my experiences and observations, I explain how each species has a subtly different strategy for denning, cub rearing, enduring the juvenile years, finding food, and for breeding. I show how bears learn well and are shaped considerably by their environment and past experiences.

My book caters to both the new-to-bears reader and to the well-versed-in-bears reader. My experience and knowledge around bears comes from thousands and thousands of hours of direct-and-focused observation of behaviours and relationships. Some of the bears I talk about in the book I have been watching for over 12 years. And some of the bears I first saw when they were six months old and now they’re over 10 with their own cubs. I hope by the end of my book you see bears in a refreshing way, as I do; individual, long-lived, and respect-worthy animals that grow, learn, and thrive in the wilds of Canada.

Eddy Savage