The Clarkson family was on the Trans-Canada Highway, passing Alberta’s Banff National Park, when they saw an incredible–and unforgettable–sight. “That is full-on a white grizzly bear,” said Cara Clarkson. “We knew we were so lucky because white grizzly bears are unheard of.”
On April 26th, 2020, the family was celebrating two birthdays–Tyler, Cara’s husband, whose birthday was that day, and their three-year-old son, Beau, on April 24th. 6-month-old Jak was the fourth and final member of the family in the car that day, as they saw two grizzlies. The bears were trying to find food alongside the highway. One was an ordinary grizzly. The other was the pure white one. (1)
The White Grizzly Bear
“I don’t know of a white grizzly bear,” says Mike Gibeau. He has retired from Parks Canada, but during his time there, he was a carnivore expert–and grizzlies were his specialty. “I have never in all my time working with grizzly bears – since the early 1980s – seen a white grizzly bear,” he gushes. “I’ve seen a really, really blond grizzly, but never a white one.”
“It’s not an albino because an albino is something different again,” according to Gibeau.
Sarah Elmeligi is a local bear expert and ecologist. She agrees with Gibeau’s assessment, saying the white coloring is a result of recessive genes. “As far as I know, this is the whitest bear ever seen in Banff,” she says. “They could be blonde or dark brown, but this bear isn’t even really blonde. It looks pretty white in the photos, so it’s extremely rare.” (1, 2)
The Banff Bears
Staff at Banff National Park have been monitoring the white grizzly–and its sibling–since 2017, when it left its mother. The bear has been named Nakoda, which means “friend” or “ally” in the language of the Indigenous peoples of the Stoney Nakoda Nation.
The bears are three-and-a-half years old. The father is unknown, but their mother is named “Bear 156.” If it seems like a strange name, it’s because it’s not really a name. It’s a designation. She was part of a 2012-17 Canadian Pacific-Parks Canada study. The study involved collaring bears to study mortality rates in relation to highways.
There are a few other famous bears in Banff National Park. Split Lip is a cannibal, eating smaller grizzlies, and The Boss, who weight in at over 660 lbs., is the largest bear in the park. He too partakes in snacking on other bears. (1, 2)
Nakoda In Danger?
Biologist and photographer Jason Bantle fears for Nakoda’s safety–especially since she became well-known. He sees people getting out of their cars to try to get a photo of this extraordinarily rare bear. “As a nature photographer, it’s a fine line between getting images and making sure the individuals are conserved,” he says. Parks Canada has been urging people to remember proper etiquette when it comes to wildlife photography. “Consider not stopping,” they say in a statement. “Bears and other wildlife that become comfortable around people and roadsides are at greater risk of being struck by a vehicle.” (3)
