Illustration by Dawn Cooper
1. Grizzly bear, Khutzeymateen Inlet Conservancy
Grizzly bear © Eric Travers / Getty
The first area in Canada to be designated as a grizzly sanctuary, Khutzeymateen protects a number of important salmon streams where bears come to feed.
2. Trumpeter swan, Gitnadoiks River, Provincial Park
Trumpeter swan © Gleen Bartley / Getty
Described as the heaviest bird native to North America, the trumpeter was threatened with extinction in the early part of the 20th century. Its call really does sound like a trumpet!
3. Humpback whale, Johnstone Strait
Humpback whale © Bertie Gregory / Nature Picture Library / Getty
Humpbacks spend the summer months in the cool waters off British Columbia (and Alaska), feeding before heading south to Baja California. You can kayak with them and with orcas here.
4. Orca, Tofino, Vancouver Island
Orca © John E Marriot / Getty
One of the most reliable places in the world to see orcas, the waters off Vancouver Island have both resident pods and transient groups marauding in search of sealions.
5. Spirit bear, Princess Royal Island
Spirit / Kermode bear © John E Marriot / Getty
Roughly one in 10 of these black bears (also known as the Kermode bear) have the double recessive gene that gives them a cream-coloured coat, with the highest concentration – an estimated 120 individuals – on this island.
6. Tufted puffin, Gwaii Haanas, National Park Reserve
Tufted puffin © Wayne Lynch / Getty
With dramatic hair-dos sweeping back from their eyes, tufted puffins are real celebs of the wildlife world. And there are plenty more seabirds here.