An extremely rare white grizzly bear was spotted near Rimrock Resort Hotel in Canada.
Grizzly bears commonly come in a broad spectrum of hues, from dark black to light blonde. However, a pure white grizzly is ultra rare, according to retired Parks Canada researcher Mike Gibeau.
Cara Clarkson was driving on the Trans-Canada Highway with her husband and children when they saw the magnificent creature.
The grizzly bear was searching for food near the edge of the road with its sibling, a brown bear.
The family didn’t want to disturb the bears but the sight of the beautiful animal was a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity.’
In an interview with St. Albert Today, Clarkson said: “We were like ‘holy smokes! That is full on a white grizzly bear.”
Parks Canada researcher Mike Gibeau said: “I have never in all my time working with grizzly bears – since the early 1980s – seen a white grizzly bear.
“I’ve seen a really, really blond grizzly, but never a white one.”
Some people first thought that the white grizzly bear might’ve been an albino but that condition would have changed the creature’s eye and skin color as well.
Gibeau said the white fur of the rare grizzly bear is likely because of a recessive gene in the species.
Parks Canada’s Seth Cherry said to Global News: “It’s certainly the only one I’m aware of that’s been seen in our Rocky Mountain National Park.”
Jon Stuart-Smith of Parks Canada also said: “This is a unique bear, and I certainly have never seen one before, but we ask people can appreciate that it’s out there and do things to ensure its safety, like not stopping on the highway.”
“We hope they move onto other locations and then eventually move up into higher elevations,” he added.
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Replaced!