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"Spirit" Bear
Canada’s other white bear
For many years, the “spirit” bear was considered a
legend of the Git-ga’at and Kitasoo First Nations
people. Their legends told of a time when the glaciers
finally receded, and it was Raven who made
everything green. Raven also decided to make one in 10
black bears white, to remind of the time when the world
was white with snow and ice. Raven decided to set aside
a special area of the world for these bears — now known as the Great Bear Rainforest. It was a remote
paradise where the bears were to
live in peace forever.
Ker-MOH-Dee
The Kermode (pronounced: Ker-MOHDee)
“spirit” bear is truly a rare bear with
fewer than 400 of these special white bears
thought to exist on the planet. The unique
genetics of the black bears in the Great
Bear Rainforest are responsible
for about one in 10 to be white
in colour. These bears are not albinos,
but rather true black bears
that happen to have white fur.
The fact that the only place on
earth these bears exist is British
Columbia, Canada makes photographing
them very special.
Story and photography by
Paul Burwell
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