While most kermode bears are black, there are between 100 and 500 fully white individuals. One major spill could wipe out a core spirit bear population. Downstream, a black bear looked up from feeding on a salmon carcass and nervously moved off into the surrounding forest with several backward glances. Spirit bears of british columbias great bear rainforest. In 2014, guides at the spirit bear lodge, in klemtu, saw eight, the most since the lodge had opened six years earlier. Spirit of the bear guardians of spirit rock book 3. Many sightings are reported around the terrace area, making the spirit bear its official mascot.
Keeping the spirit bear coast clear of tar sands oil nrdc. An adult spirit bear is seen fishing for salmon on gribbell island, great bear rainforest in british columbia, canada. Its white fur is the result of a single nucleotide replacement in the melanocortin1 mc1r receptor portion of the gene that leads to the. Circumnavigate gribbell island, what the valhalla wilderness society has dubbed mother island of the. Other alaskan wildlife also play an important part in touching spirit bear. This is a fascinating story of rare and beautiful animals and the crew of research photographers who became intimately associated with them. Deacon gray, my personal favorite of the gray brothers, gets his story this time.
How the kermode bear is affected by logging follow the. In his napra nautilus awardwinning novel touching spirit bear, author ben mikaelson delivers a poignant comingofage story of a boy who must overcome the effects that violence has had on his life. It offers some startling revelations into the life and behavior of bears. It is thought that a total of eighty kermodes might inhabit this 600square mile island and a small portion of the surrounding great bear rainforest, but that number is only a guesstimate. This rare, white bear may be the key to saving a canadian. In his napra nautilus awardwinning novel touching spirit bear, author ben mikaelson delivers a poignant comingofage story of a boy who must overcome the effects that violence has had on his life after severely injuring peter driscal in an empty parking lot, mischiefmaker cole matthews is in major trouble. This subspecies of black bears is known as the spirit bear. We took a boat over to gribbell island, one of the two islands inhabited by the kermode, or spirit bear. Books similar to touching spirit bear touching spirit bear. Spirit bears under siege the case for the protection of. But instead of jail time, cole is given another option. He appeared almost ghostlike out of the rising morning mist up stream from our viewing platform above the ryordan river.
Canada c3 is an initiative of the students on ice foundation. The kermode bear, also called the spirit bear and ghost bear, is a rare whitephase black bear that inhabits the rainforests on the northwest coast of british columbia. The kermode bear ursus americanus kermodei, also known as the spirit bear particularly in british columbia, is a rare subspecies of the american black bear living in the central and north coast regions of british columbia, canada. August 2016 september 2016 stopping time in the great bear rainforest humans have been keeping time for thousands of years. On gribbell island, about 30% of kermode bears have white or creamcoloured fur. On gribbell island, up to 30 per cent of the bears can be white while on the larger princess royal island, about 10 per cent have the white. White spirit bear pictured hunting for salmon in canada. We constantly ask where the time has gone and lament the way time flies. Accordingly, white spirit bear or blackcoated bear parents can give birth to white spirit bear cubs, as long as the blackcoated parent is carrying a copy of the mutated gene. The white kermode bear of british columbia is galvanizing first nations people. It is the official provincial mammal of british columbia. The core of its range is princess royal island and neighbouring gribbell island, although it is also.
The spirit bear, or kermode bear, is a white genetic variety of black bear, found only on princess royal island off british columbia. At full size, spirit bears weigh about 80200 kg, with females weighing less than males. Kermode spirit bears, blacks, and grizzlies of the great. Illustrated by vanya nastanlieva anything can happen anywhere. On gribbell island, up to 30 per cent of the bears can be white while on the larger princess royal island, about 10 per cent have the white coat. A voyage to great bear rainforest alaska adventure cruise. Spirit bear encounters with the white bear of the western rainforest charles russell written with vivid detail and passion, spirit bear is the story of acclaimed naturalist charles russells journey to study and learn from the extraordinary spirit bears on the remote princess royal island. Eggheavy fish glut the streams of gribbell island, a small piece of canadas great bear rainforest, one of the largest coastal temperate rain forests in the world. Today, the spirit bears epitomize british columbias 21millionacre coastal. Spirit bears are rare, allwhite species of black bear. We measure our lives by the minutes, hours, days, and weeks.
This island is well known for its population of kermode bears or spirit bears, a rare subspecies of black bear. Check out the first ever book written on the white spirit bear. Agribbell columbia princess island royal klemtu kitasooxaixais. First nation communities that these bears have lived in british columbias northern coast for thousands of years. On gribbell island, only two major salmon streams ex. Located in the heart of the great bear rainforest, spirit bear lodge offers world class wildlife tours, indigenous cultural experiences that are second to none. How to visit the great bear rainforest in british columbia. The spirit bear aka kermode bear aka ghost bear hubpages. Rare genetic variants of the black bear, only a few hundred spirit bears exist. One windy morning on a wild and quiet hebridean island, a bear appeared where there should not have been a bear. The territories with the highest concentration of white colored bears are on princess royal island and gribbell island. In search of canadas ghost bear telegraph the telegraph.
Cole matthews is a teenage delinquent whos in big trouble for beating up a kid named peter driscal. Seldom interacting with humans, these rare white black bears have lived peacefully for centuries in the pristine environment of princess royal island and the. Barcroft media getty images prince william and his wife, catherine, the duke and duchess of cambridge, will arrive in canada this weekend along with their children for a tour of british columbia. Spirit bear is the story of annuk, a young spirit bear cub happily growing up in the great bear rainforest of british columbia. Prince william and kate to visit canadas great bear. Following hot on the heels of very successful 20112019 spirit bear photography tours we got to photograph three different spirit bears in 2011, two in 2012, two in 20, three in 2014, three in 2015, one in 2016 though in 2016 we took time off from spirit bears to photograph wild wolves. Wynn grant has been awarded a grant to study spirit bears in the region, and will be on board to give lectures. Since 2000, students on ice soi has led educational expeditions to the arctic and antarctic. Hes unrepentant and even though he is facing serious jail time, his kindly parole officer, a man named garvey, gets him into this native american justice program called.
Canada travel adventures part 2 spirit bear hartley bay. Spirit bear, gribbell island, great bear rainforest. Unobtrusive wooden platforms have been erected along a. A spirit bear mother and her cub emerge from the forest to hunt salmon in a.
Spirit bears under siege the case for the protection. The white bear was a spirit bear, the rarest bear on earth. Recommended books include the great bear rainforest, by ian mcallister, and bear. Inheritance and population structure of the whitephased. A spirit bear on hunter island, british columbia shutterstock british columbias great bear rainforest is named for the rare white spirit bears that haunt the provinces northern and. The spirit bear, kermode bear or ghost bear, as its often called, has a. After severely injuring peter driscal in an empty parking lot, mischiefmaker cole matthews is in major trouble. According to tribal legend, a godlike creator in the form of a raven turned one of every ten black bears white to remind humankind how clean the earth was during the ice age.
Kermode bears are white bears that are found in the rainforest on princess royal and gribbell islands along the coast of british columbia. Filmed by diane bradshaw, a fellow participant in a sailing trip aboard the achiever, the research vessel of the raincoast conservation federation. Canada unique bear galapagos is the place where you can watch spirit bear or ghost bear. From tweedsmuir park lodge, go helihiking in the bella coola valley, take a guided nature walk, go birdwatching, or simply float down. The great bear rainforest is the largest coastal temperate rainforest on the planet, spanning 19 million acres. We hope youll join us today in wonderopolis for a beary interesting wonder of the day. Gribbell island is an island on the north coast of british columbia, canada, located on the east side of the entrance to douglas channel at wright sound. An unknown number of spirit bears primarily inhabit princess royale island in northern british columbia. From bella coola, head out on a wildlifeviewing safari with bella coola grizzly tours, or go on a boat ride through glacial fjords to a natural hot springs, where you can have a soak before tucking into a barbecue lunch. Canada british columbia us pacific ocran alaska smithers neither albino nor polar bear, the spirit bear also known as the kermode bear is a white variant of the north american black bear, and its found almost exclusively in the great bear rainforest of british columbia. Legend has it that the spirit bear possesses supernatural powers that enables it to swim deep underwater this bear is not an albino but a. Annuk learns what it means to be different when he discovers that he is white instead of black, like the rest of his family. Ian mcallister, founding director of pacific wild, said. Alexander ley, 24, from berlin, photographed this male kermode bear hunting on gribbell island, in canadas great bear rainforest which is one of the few place the animals are known to exist 2 11.
A debate over the fate of clover, a rare spirit bear put in a zoo by the british columbia government, is becoming international in scope. Pictures and information is from canadian wildlife for educational purposes. Simply put, this is one the most beautiful book about one of the most magic locations in canada and on earth to visit. Canada travel adventures part 2 spirit bear hartley bay m mundik on. Spirit of the bear, book three of the guardians of spirit rock series by kelly abell, is a heart wrenching addition to the series. Home of approximately 35 spirit bears ursus americanus kermodei also known as kermode and ghost bears. Contrary to popular belief spirit bears are not albino. Spirit bear on gribbell island in the great bear rainforest yuri choufour some highlights include monkman provincial park, unesco world heritage site, tatshenshinialsek provincial park and the epic 2,237 km 1,387 mi alaska highway. See more ideas about spirit bear, bear and black bear. This time he caught peter driscal in the parking lot and smashed his head against the sidewalk. Revered by the native kitasoo and tsimshian people, whose legends regard it as a reminder of the ice age, it was initially considered a separate species.