The rare Kermode Bear is a subspecies of the American Black Bear. One out of 10 Kermode Bears have a white or cream-coloured coat due to a unique recessive gene. They are neither albino nor related to polar bears. Because of their ghost-like appearance, these bears hold a special place in the legends of First Nations peoples, who created the name, “Spirit Bear”.
Female Spirit Bears are slow to reproduce. They have one to four cubs at a time, and nurture their offspring for two years. One amazing thing about Kermode Bears is that their young are often born in the middle of winter, while the mother bear is still hibernating. The tiny bear cubs, born blind and defenseless, stay in the den until spring, when the mother wakes and takes them on their first trip through the rainforest. Adult Spirit Bears grow as large as 130 kg and can live for more than 25 years.
There is only one place on Earth to find the Spirit Bear – the Pacific coast of British Columbia. The Kermode Bear is what scientists call an "umbrella species." If the habitat is large enough to support this creature, it also will support abundant life in the same ecosystem, including salmon, birds, wolves, deer, insects, and many other species crucial to a thriving ecosystem.
But much of the Spirit Bear's historic habitat is threatened by logging, hunting and environmental degradation. Sensitive marine estuaries and freshwater ecosystems, which produce the main source of food for the Kermode Bear (salmon), are in danger.
When you help a spirit bear thrive, you will be helping ensure that the Northeast Pacific Marine Region remains an area of diversity and a healthy ecosystem, where wildlife like the Spirit Bear can thrive.
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Sun Feb 24, 2013 7:51 pm
