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An extremely rare white spirit bear spotted in Michigan's Upper Peninsula may have an uncertain future as people are discussing killing it in hunting season.
There has been speculation over the past couple of days that the bear is already dead after being attacked by wolves, though that is considered unlikely, according to a Michigan wildlife department official.
The white bear, known as a spirit bear, is actually a rare type of black bear with white or creamy fur and paws due to its genetic makeup. It is thought that only around 100 of them exist, according to the North American Bear Center.
Most spirit bears live on the Princess Royal and Gribbell islands along the coast of British Columbia, Canada, with some rare exceptions elsewhere.
From September 4 to 6, a white bear was spotted by a trailcam in Michigan as it wandered through the forest. The photos were shared on social media and they received several hundred comments on the Yooper Outdoors #906 Facebook group.
"That would make an awesome mount or rug," wrote one Facebook user in the comment section, prompting backlash from others. In response, they added: "If a person wants to use the tag they purchase on a legal animal then they can, they do not need your permission."
Another said: "Let him grow! That would be a beautiful mount in a few more years."
Many others urged hunters to leave the bear alone. One user wrote: "I'm all about bear hunting but I really hope fellow hunters can see the beauty in this rare beauty and let him go."
"Not everything magnificent needs to be taken as a trophy," said another.
Michigan's hunting season this year runs from September 7 to October 26, with some variation between districts.
There was also some discussion about whether or not it would be legal to shoot the animal.
In July, the government of British Columbia banned the hunting of black bears, including white bears, in the territories of the Kitasoo/Xai'xais and Gitga'at First Nations in the Great Bear Rainforest in an effort to protect them.
However, no such protections are in place in Michigan, according to local press.
Speaking to Michigan news outlet MLive, Cody Norton, a wildlife biologist at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, acknowledged that the bear may be killed.
"Obviously, I'd love to actually see it. If it did get harvested, we'd love to take a genetic sample and get to see if this is the same exact genetic mutation that is what is found in British Columbia in the remote bear population or if it's something different," Norton said.
He added that if the bear "makes it through the season" then future trail cam photos could provide useful information on it.
Possible Attack by Wolves
Hunting threats aside, there has been recent speculation that the bear may already have been killed by wolves.
News outlet Fox 2 Detroit reported it had spoken to the Yooper Outdoors #906 group and that the owner of the original trail cam photos of the spirit bear had found pieces of what looked like white fur not long after the photo was shared online. In addition, the animal has not been seen since.
However, speaking to Detroit Free Press, Norton said it was unlikely that the bear had been killed by wolves as wolves do not typically attack bears. He said it is more likely that the bear has simply wandered off looking for food.
