A photographer faced an extremely unusual incident while touring the Canadian countryside
Alexander Lay is a 24-year-old wildlife photographer. He spotted a Kermode polar bear on Gribbell Island, Canada. This white bear is one of the 400 Kermode bears in the world, living in British Columbia.
These wonderful bears are a subspecies of the American black bear. The only difference is their white fur. It is the result of melanism, caused by a rare gene.
The German photographer found out the amazing animal fishing in a river. Alexander was pleased to meet the bear. He was really lucky!
“I was, in fact, looking for some different bears. At that moment, a couple of black bears passed me”, told the photographer. “The, suddenly, I saw a white beast heading for me. I immediately realized it was a Kermode bear”.
It was a fantastic experience, but the photographer had deliberately chose this location. He knew in advance, that the Gribbell Islands were home to white bears. Only one out of every ten bears carries the recessive gene. Thus they inherit the white and cream coloring.
“This incredible experience shocked me a lot. Being so close to this rare type of bear sounds like a dream”, added Alexander.
Locals named the bear “Boss” after the photos spread on the internet. He gained popularity thanks to his courage and strong nature.
