BC Wildlife Park Big announcement due

I say publicity stunt.

Does this park only house native North American wildlife?
 
This actually *is* quite an interesting announcement...
 
Below is a short article and another video about the kermode bear, and I can recall seeing an all-white black bear at Greater Vancouver Zoo many times in the past. However, the one at that zoo was actually an albino and is now deceased, while the all-white bear at B.C. Wildlife Park is a pure "spirit bear". Such creatures are legendary in First Nations (Aboriginal) culture in Canada and I am about a 3 hour drive from the zoo so perhaps I'll drop by in the spring once the new exhibit is open to the public. The wildlife park is worth seeing as there is a wide range of North American species, and a while ago I uploaded a number of photos into the ZooChat gallery.

Kermode finds home at wildlife park | City & Region | Kamloops Daily News
 
This is very interesting.
Apparently there was one at Beacon Hill in Victoria. Anyone know of others that where kept in the past?
 
an interesting addition indeed, and a very nice-looking animal*





*being pedantic, I must however add that a subspecies of black bear does not equate to general manager Glenn Grant's statement "We believe this is the only captive animal of its species in the world".
 
This is much more exciting news than I thought it would be. (Not as exciting as, say, a white caracal or fishing cat, but exciting nonetheless). Will be really interesting to see the new enclosure they build - please keep us updated.
 
Arizona Docent said:
This is much more exciting news than I thought it would be.
Click to expand...
it is that. I was expecting that it would be some obscure frog or snail, and the average Joe would be "hmmmm, is that all?" But a spirit bear even has a cool name!
 
How interesting. I have a DVD about these bears called 'Great Bear Rainforest' from National Geographic which is worth watching.

Further to Chlidonias' point, what exactly is their status?
 
Here is a link with some useful information:

Kermode Spirit Bear: facts, information

There is a novel called "Touching Spirit Bear" that I've actually taught to my high school students, and it involves a troubled youth and his encounters with a spirit bear. The animal is the official emblem of British Columbia and they are rarely encountered on the mainland and live almost entirely on the islands off of the coast of B.C. I've spoken with research professors who have spent time in the lush forests of the region and apparently the bears are not that difficult to locate as long as one enlists the help of a tour guide. Kermode/spirit bears stand out as pure white animals in an all-green backdrop.
 
BC Wildlife Park has had Clover the Kermode Bear since late 2012 but just a few months ago he finally went on public display in an exhibit that is almost 3 acres in size. Impressive! The zoo has created a new map and the bear exhibit (the third at the park as there are already Grizzly Bear and American Black Bear enclosures) is set towards the very back of the zoo on previously unused land.

New map:

Visitor Park Map | BC Wildlife Park Kamloops

News article:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...but-at-bc-wildlife-park-in-kamloops-1.3070246
 
Pretty cool. I've never see one. The Alaska Zoo had a "Glacier" Bear (blue-phased black bear) about 10 years ago. It was a beautiful animal.
 
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