Moksgm'ol: The Quest for the Spirit Bear

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Nature Documentary hosted by Gil Webster, published by National Geographic in 2012 - English narration

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Moksgm'ol: The Quest for the Spirit Bear The Tsimshian people believe in the legend of Moksgm'ol - the spirit of the rainforest. It is said that Creator, the Raven, decided to create a reminder of when the world was once covered with ice and snow. To do this, he was said to fly among the black and brown bear people and turn every tenth one white. He decreed that these bears would live in peace and harmony forever. Until the turn of the century, Moksgm'ol lived in virtual isolation, known only to the Tsimshian people. As change began to invade the untouched rainforests of British Columbia, the secret of Moksgm'ol slowly became known. Most settlers that inhabited the north coast one hundred years ago, laughed at the idea of a 'spirit' bear and although a white pelt would show up occasionally at fur trading posts, it was commonly believed to be a misplaced polar bear. To one, however, the thought of the polar bear being twenty three hundred kilometers away from its known range was too far of a stretch. W.T. Hornaday, a naturalist from the New York Zoological Society, launched an investigation to discover the secrets of Moksgm'ol, the spirit of the rainforest. Spirit bears are easily recognized by their white fur, but, contrary to common belief, they're not albinos—they're actually a rare subspecies of the black bear, born with a genetic mutation that gives them white coats. It's the same genetic mutation that gives humans red hair. Spirit bears are so rare that only about 400 or so are left in the wild. In April 2006, the Spirit Bear was added to the list of the Canadian province of British Columbia’s official symbols. It's an offense of up to $104,000 ($100,000 Canadian) to shoot a white bear anywhere in the province.