In Rudyard Kipling's well-known "The Jungle Book," a young boy is raised by a pack of wolves in the jungles of India. On Alaska's Katmai Coast, a wolf that spends its time among bears, fishing for salmon with them, looks just at home among its larger predatory neighbors as it would in a pack of its own.
Wolves fishing for salmon isn't an undocumented phenomenon, but naturalist guide Brad Josephs caught more than seven minutes of a lone wolf in the company of two bears, looking out for salmon in the shallow waters near the shoreline. And thankfully for the rest of us, he uploaded the video (and several photos) to YouTube. Be sure to check out the slow motion around the four-minute mark.
Josephs, who has a degree in wildlife biology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and who specializes in bear biology, was on a boat-based expedition with Natural Habitat Adventures, a partner with the World Wildlife Fund conservation group and focusing on "nature travel" that looks for wildlife in their home habitats.
Josephs has loads more videos of wildlife -- from moose and brown bears to polar bears and and others -- at his YouTube channel, and you can check out more of his excellent photography at his blog, Alaska Bears and Wolves.
Our Alaska takes a look at the people, places, activities and wildlife that make Alaska great. There's the Alaska that many people know from reality television, and then there's Our Alaska. If you have a video that puts the spotlight on the positive, educational or unique aspects of Alaska and its people, send links or submissions to ben(at)alaskadispatch.com.