According to National Geographic, there are about 400 of the white breed of spirit bears (Kermode bears) in British Columbia. But, these white animals are incredibly elusive.
Recently, however, a 63-year-old photographer named Steven Rose has spotted one when visiting the Great Bear Rainforest. It was such a precious experience and the man didn’t miss snapping awesome shoots of the white bear.
“I have clients who have gone on trips in previous years and not seen one during the whole week they were there,” Rose, a photography tour guide, tells Caters News. “I am a lucky guy to have been able to witness this.”
Steven even captured the whole process of catching a fish of the majestic animal.
Looking at its white appearance, many people may think that this spirit bear is an albino. But it isn’t. These white Kermode bears are just white. They bear exceptional variation in their melanin production gene, making them white.
It’s interesting to know that white spirit bears also hold religious roles in the Tsimshian people’s cultural life. They preserve multiple mythological tales about white bears, including one in which they were created by the universe’s maker as a reminder of the final ice age.
H/T: NY Post