Spirit Bear, Gribbell Island, British Columbia
Canon 1D3, 300 mm f/2.8 lens
The Spirit Bear, or Kermode bear, is a rare white variant of the black bear. It is caused by a recessive gene and is found only on two islands on the British Columbia coast. The bear is not albino --- it still hasa black nose and black eyes. To see one takes a bit of patience and a lot of luck. This was my second attempt...we did the same trip two years ago and failed to spot one. But only one in ten bears in the area are white, so success is certainly not guaranteed.
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