A rare subspecies of black bear can be found in Canada’s Pacific Coast province – British Columbia. And these bears are white. On three islands (Gribbell, Princess Royal and Roderick) the Spirit or Ghost bears, as local coastal peoples call them, roam freely. The Kitasoo/Xai’xais and Gitgas’at Nations have known about these unique creatures for thousands of years but have kept them a secret in an effort to protect them from hunters and poachers. The white fur occurs not because they are albino versions of the black bear, but rather as a result of a mutant gene they possess. Actually, it is possible for a pair of black bears to produce cubs that are entirely black and entirely white, within the same litter. The species is now officially referred to as Kermode bears, named after the former director of the British Columbia Museum, Frank Kermode, who spent years researching the animals.
The presence of the Kermode bears has helped attract curious animal lovers from around the world, adding to local tourism and creating jobs. While it is illegal to hunt the Kermode, the provincial government is paying closer attention to their preservation by moderating the potential destruction of their natural habitat due to pipeline developments. They are also concerned about trophy hunters who may reduce the number of black bears who are the sole carriers of the all-important recessive gene that makes the Spirit bear possible.