November 26, 1995
Web posted at: 4:15 p.m. EST
From Reporter Bruce Burkhardt
PRINCESS ROYAL ISLAND, Canada (CNN) -- They're called spirit bears and fewer than 100 of these animals are alive today. They survived the Ice Age, but now could be close to extinction.
Believe it or not, this white bear is really a black bear. These bears are known as white spirit bears and there are fewer than 100 of them all on Princess Royal Island off the west coast of Canada.
"A spirit bear is actually almost an oxymoron, it's a white- colored black bear. It's not an albino, its a very rare double-recessive gene that allows this unique adaptation to occur," said Matt Reid with The Great Bear Foundation.
According to Native Kitasu Indians, these bears are a living reminder of a time when the world was covered with ice. (184K AIFF sound or 184K WAV sound) Reid says the bears must have been favored to have survived.
Princess Royal Island is covered with temperate rain forests, streams full of salmon and enormous cedar trees which the bears use for denning during the winter. But on the north western tip of the island and on the surrounding areas, timber companies have begun logging. Spirit bear advocates say the silt run-off from logging will destroy the bears' primary food source: salmon. "If the salmon runs get silted out, say good-bye to the bears," Reid added. "It's that simple."
The Great Bear Foundation wants the provincial government of British Columbia to set aside more than 1000 square miles of spirit bear sanctuary. The government has agreed to a much smaller area because of a policy that limits protective area to twelve percent of the country. (808K QuickTime movie) The Great Bear Foundation is afraid that won't be enough to protect the bears. (152K AIFF sound or 152K WAV sound)
Copyright © 1995 Cable News Network, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.