CHARLES RUSSELL was born and raised in southwest Alberta near what is now Waterton Lakes National Park, in bear country. He is an accomplished Canadian wilderness guide, naturalist, photographer, rancher, and pilot. Russell has authored several other books on bears, including Grizzly Heart: Living Without Fear Among the Brown Bears of Kamchatka, Grizzly Seasons, and Learning to Be Wild: Raising Orphan Grizzlies. His photographs have appeared in magazines such as Canadian Geographic, Nature Canada, and Outdoor Life. He lives in Alberta.