White is the new black: Calgary Zoo’s unusual bear makes its debut

Help us name our beautiful “white” black bear! After a long winter sleep, our newest bear is now out and ready for visitors. Her light colouring often gets her confused with a Kermode or spirit bear, but while she has those same genes, she is not from that specific British Columbian region. We are asking the public to help us name her as she needs a name that is as unique as her colouring! Click here to vote for your favourite name: http://bit.ly/1vbpfhA | Photo Credit: Mike Kyffin (Calgary Zoo Facebook page)

CALGARY — For a new bear at the Calgary Zoo, sometimes black really is white.

The zoo’s newest bruin in the Canadian Wilds habitat is a rescued black bear that is decidedly light in colour.

The distinctive animal came to the zoo last August from Elkford, B.C., where the three-year-old female had become a nuisance bear.

The zoo was able to take her in and save her from being destroyed.

Now, after a long winter’s nap and some time to get used to her new digs, the bear is out and about.

The zoo is asking the public to enter a contest to name her.

“We are so pleased to welcome a bear with this striking colouration,” curator Mike Teller said in a release Friday.

“She is an important reminder of the danger of animals becoming habituated to humans and we will be able to share her story as we educate our visitors about these issues.”

Even though she carries the same colouring as a Kermode or spirit bear, she is not from that specific region in British Columbia.

However, her light colouring is attributed to the same recessive genes as are found in bears from that area.