Last year was incredibly disappointing. There’s really no way to put that politely, however, it was not without some excitement. 2020 was one for the books, but it certainly wasn’t all bad. In fact, for outdoorsy Albertans, there were some highlights – one of them being Nakoda, an incredibly rare white grizzly cub that took the province by storm.
Spotted, filmed and posted on May 21st, 2020 by Instagram user @marseeia, the video below of Nakoda (which means friend or ally in the Aboriginal languages of the Bearspaw, Chiniki, and Wesley tribes) had everyone scratching their heads and heading to the mountains in hopes of catching a glimpse of her themselves.
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White from head to toe, this fiercely unique fur baby was mistaken by many to be a polar bear – which couldn’t be further from the truth.
You see, while white grizzlies are practically unheard of they do exist, and (contrary to popular belief) they haven’t inherited albinism, nor are they related to the Spirit Bears found in Canada’s West Coast. Instead, Nakoda is believed to just be pearlescent, carrying a recessive white-haired gene in the same way that humans are either born with red, black, brown, or blonde hair.
So why are we talking about her again, over a year later?
Well, she was spotted again, folks and man is this recent video a stunner.
Taken by Josh Klassen a photographer and videographer from Vancouver, a new clip of Nakoda all grown up and wandering around Banff National Park has surfaced – and she seems to be thriving.
@joshklassen4##banffnationalpark ##wildlife ##bear ##rareanimals ##rarebear ##banffcanada ##banffalberta ##whitebear♬ original sound – Josh Klassen
Seen pawing at a nearby tree, the infamous 4.5-year-old grizzly looks like she’s doing well, which is really all that we can ask. Right?
So – to answer your question Josh – the bear you were looking at was a grizzly, and she’s our pride and joy – so we appreciate the update – hopefully, it won’t be the last!
Please remember that if you do see Nakoda or any grizzly while out in Alberta’s national park’s that you keep your distance, be respectful and lastly, as one Ranger Smith would say – please, don’t feed the bears!
