Where Black Bears Are White: In the Great Bear Rainforest, on the coast of British Columbia and the offshore islands, lives the only population of black bears that are white. They are...

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Where Black Bears Are White

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Feb 6, 2019 20:10:09 #

John from gpwmi Loc: Michigan

In the Great Bear Rainforest, on the coast of British Columbia and the offshore islands, lives the only population of black bears that are white. They are called Kermode bears, named for the scientist who first confirmed they were indeed "Ursus americanus". They are commonly called "Spirit Bears". They are not albino, but rather their white color is caused by a recessive gene that results in one out of ten black bears born in the isolated population to be white. This has resulted in a stable population of about 400 Kermode bears for hundreds of years. The bears are usually dispersed in the temperate rainforest and seldom seen by even the local First Nation people. However, in the fall rainy season the creeks run full. The salmon make a run up the creeks to spawn and bear Kermode is waiting.

This is a remote area, accessible only by boat or seaplane. I was fortunate to be able to go on a small-group, nature trip to observe these magnificent creatures in the wild. A local Gitga'at guide escorted us to a bear stand to view and photograph the bears when they came for the salmon. Because the bears have had little contact with humans and have never been hunted they are not bothered by our presence. The eight photos tell the story of a Spirit bear spending three hours on a September afternoon fishing for salmon. I think you'll find the downloads worthwhile to see these beautiful creatures.

PS - I mentioned the rainy season. See the companion post: "Rain and Gloom"

When first seen coming out of the dense rainforest, the term "Spirit Bear" is well understood.