2.7 Acre Kermode Bear Exhibit - see the bear?

July 20th, 2016.

I decided to go a little crazy with the Kermode Bear photos as I had a fantastic day at this small wildlife park. The zoo obtained a single male bear named Clover who had become habituated to humans and was trapped and given to the park a few years ago. After a lot of fundraising, along with help from generous donors, a very impressive, 2.7 acre habitat was built and opened to the public in 2015. On my visit the Kermode Bear moved all around his exhibit, exploring the territory and coming close to the viewing windows and delighting the crowd. Several years ago the Greater Vancouver Zoo had an albino American Black Bear but the specimen at BC Wildlife Park is not an albino but an American Black Bear with a recessive gene. He is the only one of his kind in captivity and a keeper proudly told the crowd that he is "rarer than a Giant Panda".

He could have said the same about pedigree Hereford cattle apparently

Albino is also a recessive gene, but the Kermode is not an albino, just a white black bear. The recessive gene that causes albinism prevents pigmentation, but the Kermode bear has a gene that produces this colour.



Hix

This is a really cool picture.

Yes this looks fantastic! Thanks for posting.

I believe the correct term for this bear is leucistic (as opposed to albino)?

I wonder if Snowleopard has a photo showing the eyes clearly, or if he noticed the eye color? Leucistic mammals have blue eyes, so if this is not leucsitic then I assume the eyes are dark just like a black phase bear?

The eyes of Clover the Kermode Bear are dark:

https://www.google.ca/search?q=clov...ved=0ahUKEwjB4KXThZLOAhVo5oMKHfemDAEQ_AUIBigB