The Spirit Bears

In the wilds of British Columbia, there is a unique subspecies of black bear known as the Kermode bear. While most of this subspecies has familiar dark fur, there are a few hundred individuals with a unique genetic variant - they’re completely white.

Known as ‘Spirit Bears’, these shockingly white bears have a prominent place in the stories and legends of regional indigenous communities in the Great Bear Rainforest.

Interestingly, these white bears are 35% more successful when hunting fish during the day than their fellow black bears, due to their genetic variant, as the brighter fur colour makes them harder to see from underwater.

Paul Nicklen, a famed National Geographic photographer, took this photograph during an expedition to British Columbia in order to learn more about these stunning ursines.

This award-winning photograph is from the ninth season, “Water,” of the Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Rashid al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) Archive. The Climate Tribe has partnered with HIPA, leveraging the power of photography to inspire global awareness of sustainability and advance climate action.