My Close Encounter with a Spirit Bear

In late September of 1999, I found myself on the Canadian raincoast, 400 miles north of Vancouver, B.C.  I was there to produce a documentary on the destructive impact of clear cut logging on that remote, incredibly beautiful stretch of coastal wilderness.

Traveling aboard, Maple Leaf, a restored 19th century schooner, the production team we put together followed the documentary project's host, James Cromwell and Ian McAllister, former leader of the Raincoast Conservation Society, as they talked about salmon, bears,  whales, and the lush forests that dominate the landscape, except where loggers have stripped the land clear of trees.

It happens that one of the rarest bears in the world can be found only in one small area of the raincoast. The Haisla, the Canadian First Nations people, native to that area, call this bear,  Kermode or Spirit Bear.  It's actually a genetically distinct, common black bear that happens to have white or blond fur.  There are only about 400 known to exist.

During this trip, I had one the most thrilling experiences of my life. It happened  on a day we spent sitting next to a rocky waterfall, watching and filming wild bears catching and eating one salmon after another. The bears would come around to the falls, one at a time - a territorial thing, we were told. After hanging around long enough to catch and eat a couple of fish, the bear would move on, making away for another bear looking for a meal. This went on, hour after hour. The biggest thrill was the arrival of a Spirit Bear. There was a special kind of magic to this encounter, and not just because this white bear was considererd a spirit by the locals. He was big as bears go; and very healthy looking; probably well over 400 pounds. It's no wonder the way he dined. During the 75 minutes he was with us,  that white bear caught and ate one salmon after another; eight total. The weight of the fish consumed; at least 40 pounds. He knew we were there. He didn't care. He'd catch his fish, then amble across a log into the forest, where he would settle back on his butt against a tree (really, he did that; eight times!), and  eat his catch.  At one point, Marc Griffith,  our cameraguy,  set up just three feet below the log that bear walked over, each time with a fish flapping in its jaws. I was right behind Marc. We were assured we would not be in danger, unless we tried to take the bear's fish.  No chance of that happening. The whole experience was amazing. The most exhilerating animal encounter of my life.

Years later,  the B.C government changed its raincoast policy away from unbridled exploitation to the point that much of the Great Bear Rainforest is now protected.  Where logging continues, it is  subject to closely monitored regulation. I like to think my colleagues and I made a modest but useful contribution to that very encouraging outcome.

The link below is a short video shot by Ian McAllister that features the Spirit Bear and images of the Canadian raincoast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IRxdk6m17s