Rare Spotting Of White Spirit Bear Caught On Camera
Spirit bears are rare black bears with white or creamy fur, brown eyes, dark nose pads, and nearly white claws. They are not polar bears or albinos. Maybe 100 exist. Most Spirit Bears live on Princess Royal and Gribbell Islands along the rainforest coast of British Columbia. They are considered a subspecies of black bears called Kermode bears (Ursus americanus kermodeii). About 20 percent of the bears on those islands are white; the rest are black.
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Kermode bears are a subspecies of the American black bear, and are known for their distinctive white or cream coloured coat, which is caused by a rare regressive gene. Only one in ten black bears are said to carry this rare gene and this photographer was overjoyed to catch one on camera. Alexander Ley, 24, from Berlin, Germany, captured the incredible sighting when he travelled to Gribbell Island, Canada, in search of bears to photograph.
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Alexander said: "I was on the look out to photograph all different type of bear, and saw a few black bears pass me by. "Then out of nowhere, I saw a white creature appear and walk right towards me –I then realised that it was a Kermode bear! "It was an unforgettable experience to be so close to this species of bear, and it took me completely by surprise.
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"The bear is called 'Boss' by the locals, as he is a very strong and dominant male. "Kermode bears are extremely skilled hunters, and I was lucky enough to experience the live action of him catching salmon right in front of me."
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Fewer than 400 Kermode bears are estimated to exist in the coast area that stretches from Southeast Alaska southwards to the northern tip of Vancouver Island; about 120 inhabit the large Princess and Prince Royal Island. The largest concentration of the white bears inhabits 80-square-mile (210 km2) Gribbell Island, in the territory of the Gitgaʼata people. The bear's habitat was potentially under threat from the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines, whose planned route would have passed near the Great Bear Rainforest. Indigenous groups including the Gitgaʼat have opposed the pipeline. The Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline was rejected by the federal government in 2016.
