After an off-white bear cub was sighted and photographed near the Whistler ski resort in British Columbia, bear biologists have been infatuated with this furry little guy. Many scientists have thrown out more than a few speculations, but it’s now been determined that both parents were likely to have carried a recessive gene, resulting in its unlikely color.
It was unclear whether the young cub was an albino or a Kermode bear, an endangered species also known as “Spirit” bears that are famous in the region. The off-white cub has been spotted wandering the Whistler area with his mother, a black bear sow. The identification of this bear was fairly controversial because the Kermode species is only known to live on the north and central coast of British Columbia. Seeing one this far south would be quite an amazing find.
Many biologists were identifying the cub as an albino, due to its lacking of distinguishable color features of Kermode bears. The albino theory was quickly dismissed, as the cub doesn’t have blue or red eyes. It is now believed that the unusually white cub is the result of each parent passing on a recessive gene. Basically, the cub is a black bear… a white black bear.
The Whistler Blackcomb website has taken to chronicling the young bear’s plight. Given that the yearly survival rate of bear cubs is 50 percent, the future of the white cub is not certain, but the community has rallied around it. Whistler’s environmental resources manager, Arthur De Jong, said, “The bears are going into mating season and that’s when the cubs are at a verу high risk because the males potentially kill the cubs and that’ll force the mother to make some adjustments in their patterns of movement.”
The mother has been seen living in the area for the past 4 to 5 years so there’s plenty of resources for her and her cub. If you do happen to catch a glimpse of this rare animal, and it looks cold or lonely, resist the urge to put it in the back of your SUV like these guys did. It’ll do just fine on its own.
