Vancouver Island couple captures rare video of bear altercation atop tree

Island woman records incredible footage of bears A wildlife photographer says he’s never seen footage like this before after B.C. woman recorded a bear fleeing from another bear up a tree.

COURTENAY — A Port McNeill woman is thrilled with the wildlife encounters that she has witnessed unfolding in front of her home and the response her videos of the encounters has been getting online.

Terry Eissfeldt and her husband noticed a bear at the top of a very tall tree not far from their home on Saturday evening and then were shocked to see a second larger bear also at the top.

At first, the couple assumed it was a cub and its mother – but then they had their observation corrected by a wildlife photographer who saw her video.

"He watched the video I put up, he goes, 'That wasn't a mom and cub, that was a bear being aggressive and that (smaller one) was running for his life,'" she said. "He probably chased him up that tree."

Her video shows the two bears at the top of a tree that is normally utilized by bald eagles, who flew in a panicked state around the bears.

It's the latest wildlife encounter the couple has witnessed around their property.

"We're just really blessed with the wildlife that we have. Obviously, we want to respect them and be safe," said Eissfeldt.

Eissfeldt posted her videos of the bears to her YouTube channel, which she originally started three years ago after capturing a video of mountain goats in a heart-stopping climb along cliffs in coastal British Columbia.

She knew instantly that her bear videos would be a hit with her subscribers.

“My subscribers from all over the world love animals and this has been handed to us, this moment,” Eissfeldt said. “I'm sure they'll enjoy this.”