Hi my name is Philip Sanfilippo I am a Naturalist and Alaskan Brown bear viewing, bear watching and grizzly bear wildlilife photography guide. My life is now focusing on education and preservation of the Alaska Brown Bear its habitat. To see the Alaska Brown Bear or more commonly called the Grizzly Bear remain part of the Alaskan wilderness for future generations. Over many years of working with and around bears of all types I have learned how to safely guide people to view, film, observe and photograph these magnificent creatures in there natural habitat without disturbance of there normal day to day activities. My approach to bear viewing is simple - safety first and when in the bears house never displace a bear or interrupt its activities and never encourage the bear to see humans as a source of food. I live by these rules when in the bear’s home and I expect the same from the clients I guide. Being predictable and consistent is foremost to me - bears are predictable humans are not at times and for this I strive to be at my best, predictable and consistent when entering the bears habitat. The majestic coastal brown bear of Alaska is a powerful and intelligent creature and must be respected. Being very intelligent creatures they are often very curious about humans the same way we are curious about them.

Before I go any further let me say I do not carry any type of bear repellant such as pepper spray, mace or a firearm though I am certified in firearm safety I have not carried a firearm while bear viewing, bear watching and guiding. I do carry flares, bears have a instinctual fear of fire and smoke so flares are a perfect way to deter a aggresive bear, they also cause no harm to the bear as pepper spray and mace burn the eyes and skin flares do nothing more to the health of the bear other then maybe a little hurt pride. I have never dispersed any type of bear repellant, mace, flare or firearm to deter a bears charge or to insure the safety of my group over my years of guiding. My success is knowing how to read the bears body language and vocals it is one of the most important tools I have while guiding bear viewers, bear watchers and wildlife photographers around bear country in the Alaska bush - staying one step ahead of a potentially volatile situation is key to being a successful Alaska brown bear viewing guide.

Regarding the bears and friendship - I do not feel as if any of the bears are my friends. I don't feel the bears even want us around I just feel the bears are tolerant to our non threatening - non aggressive behavior therefore tolerating us to view and photograph them. Even though some bears have been given names I am not in favor of naming the bears, once you give a bear a name it becomes humanized that can cause problems. Though I do at times call bears by names it is only for identification purposes to identify one bear from another. I never call a bear by a name because I feel it has a parallel human characteristic, rather I might call a bear "Lefty" because on his or her left front paw the bear is missing a claw. Though I do believe bears can distinguish one human from another using its keen sense of smell I also believe a bear can identify us by sight and sound as well. I usually ask the clients I am guiding not to speak to the bears at all because I don't want the bear to become confused with to many different vocal tones. Being in the field with the same bears day in and day out they begin to know my vocal tones when I am standing my ground my voice is very deep and loud some people speak that way normally and if a bear hears that same vocal tone from a guest just talking to him for no reason he or she might not hear my voice in the same way as back off I am making a stand. So I ask all my clients not to speak to the bears. Contrary to most information bears do have pretty good eyesight it is comparative to humans but they are very nearsighted so at times they will stand upright to increase their sight distance.

Being a brown bear guide is not something you can learn in a book . Yes there has been plenty of information I have learned from books scientifically on brown bears and bears in general but there is no substitution for my hundreds of hours of field experience on how to safely walk among and view these creatures without disturbing there day to day activities. I work hard to safely position my group in the best possible place for viewing and photgraphing. My positions are in the open where the bears can easily see us and with wind direction permitting smell us. Bears are creatures of habit so positioning my group in the same places where the bears are use to seeing humans is something I readily do. The positions have usually taken in account for the best possible lighting per time of day and season with weather permitting but under no circumstance will I move a group to get a better photo on direction of the guest and or photographer. Safety is always my priority I do not tolerate hand clapping or whistling to get the attention of the bear for a photo. We are in the bears home and we are not to disturb them in anyway these types of gestures also might provoke a response from the bear you would not like to experience.  
Bear Viewing Alaska Katmai National Park Brown Bear Watching - Grizzly Bear Tours - Alaska Bear Watching.