Photographer Snaps Candids of Elusive Spirit Bear

by Eliot Glazer (Subscribe to Eliot Glazer's posts): Jun 30th 2009 @ 12:00PM Filed Under: Exotic Pets

Photo: Steve Kozlowski, BARM / Fame Pictures

Wildlife photog Steve Kozlowski recently got up close and personal with a spirit bear, the rarely-seen off-shoot of the American black bear population revered by native tribes in its home of British Columbia. The bear is, in fact, not albino, but merely the blondest of its kind.

"I emerged from my tent and was confronted with [it]," said Kozlowski. "The bear was startled and it charged at me over a log, its hair up, ears back, snapping its jaws.

Kozlowski escaped safely before setting up a hidden camera to take advantage of capturing the animal in its natural habitat.

And, yes, we know it's crazy, but how much do we want to give that big guy a hug? (...Okay, well when we really think about it...)

Source

Tags: bears, candid, photography, spirit bear, SpiritBear, wildlife, wildlife photography, WildlifePhotography

Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

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#1 frank 7-04-2009 @ 2:58PM

Gentlemen prefer blondes

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#2 GreenEggsnHam 7-04-2009 @ 3:19PM

What next, blonde bear jokes?

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#3 Twisted 7-04-2009 @ 4:21PM

Beautiful animal --- Looks like it might be a Kermode.
Native lore claims that the Creator made the bear blond (or in some cases, white) to remind people of the Ice Age and the troubles during that time. ^^