Photos of bear eating a whale showcase 'important part of the local food web': DFO

Bears and gulls got an unexpected feast this week, after they found a dead whale that had washed ashore on Nuu-chah-nulth territories near Tofino, B.C.

As federal officials investigate what caused the whale's death, images of the animals were shared with CBC News by Karen Charleson, an outdoor educator and author in the area.

She and her husband boated to the scene from their home on Hesquiaht First Nation territory after seeing it through their binoculars.

"We got into our small canoe and my husband paddled towards shore," she said in an email Friday, recounting how they yelled and hit a paddle on the canoe to scare the bears away. 

"One bear went into the bush. The other bear looked up at us but would not leave the whale."

Although she said the couple have seen many beached whales in their decades living there, they'd never seen a bear eating one. Nearly a week after their sighting, she said the beach feast has continued.

"We have now been watching the black bears feeding on the whale every day multiple times for a week," she said.

In a Facebook post, she said the whale appeared to be a grey whale between nine and 12 metres long, and appeared to have "been dead a long time."

According to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), its officials are investigating why the animal died, whether by natural or human causes, using samples from the carcass.

"The animal is in a very isolated location, and fairly decomposed," DFO spokesperson Lara Sloane told CBC News in an email on Thursday. "If an animal is in an advanced state of decomposition, it may not be possible to determine cause of death."

 
Dozens of grey whales have been found dead on the province's West Coast over the past five years, raising scientists' concerns the marine mammals are dying in increasing numbers — possibly from collisions with ships, or an insufficient food supply.

The animals can grow up to 15 metres long and weigh 40 tonnes, according to DFO. 

The agency said the decomposing remains now form "an important part of the food web," but that it would assist upon request if local First Nations wish to collect any parts of the animal for social or ceremonial purposes.

Charleson said in her Facebook post that another whale washed ashore near the same spot roughly 25 years ago, and that she helped collect its jaw — which is still in the local longhouse to this day.