The Kermode Bear ( Ursus americanus kermodei ), also called " spirit bear " ( English : spirit bear or Kermode bear , in the gitga'at mooksgm'ol language ) is a subspecies of the black bear. Lives in the region of central and northern British Columbia, in Canada. Only about 1/10 of the population has white or cream colored fur. White fur is a common recessive allele in the population and has nothing to do with albinism. The National Geographic Societyestimates the population to be between 400 and 1000 individuals, and adds that spirit bears still exist because they were protected by First Nation ethnic groups, who never hunted them or spoke of their existence to fur hunters.