There is an ancient caldera in Russia’s southern Kamchatka Peninsula. Kurile Lake, in its crater, covers 76 square kilometers. Its deepest point is 316 meters, and in it are Asia’s largest stocks of Pacific salmon. Russian brown bears know this. They come out of hibernation in large numbers to spend their days running, splashing, diving after and feasting on the plentiful salmon that come their way. This book is a personal journey to a magical spot and what truly seemed like something out of a fantasy—being around 50 to 100 hungry, wild bears at mealtime. I would like to share with you some of the most intimate and incredible moments with these beautiful creatures. Precarious Balance is about this delicate relationship—the salmon and the bears who feed on them— Overzealous fi shing could take a toll on both. As I write, we are reeling from the invasion of a tiny but deadly, global threat—COVID-19. Suddenly everything seems fragile. Our apex predator status and large brains do not seem to protect us. Other species seem to be rebooting while we are laying low. We can only hope that when we do make it to the other side of this pandemic, we would retain some of this new perspective, and that we are more aware and protective of places like this and the creatures who live there.