White Kermode Bear
Ursus americanus kermodei
Status: Not listed as endangered, however there had been a conservation push to save the canadian rainforest habitat for the rare bear because of its cultural significance. climate change is affecting the streams where salmon spawn (primary food for Kermode bears), as well as overfishing.
Along the fjords and islands of coastal British columbia, the rainforests of the region are home to the Kermode bear. Primarily brown in coloration, a white variation is scattered in the population. They are not albino, but their white pelts are the result of a rare recessive gene.
The Kitasoo people call the white Kermode bear, Moksgm'ol, "ghost bear" or "spirit bear". The Moksgm'ol are revered and sacred, and they are a crucial part of the ecosystem of the rainforests. Their primary food source is from salmon that spawn in the rivers of the territory. They take the salmon carcasses that they eat into the surrounding woods, and thereby bring rich fertilizer to the forests and contribute to the growth and health of the whole system. They are seen as bringers of good fortune, and to lay eyes upon the Moksgm'ol is an omen of luck and power.
References:
Shoumatoff, Alex. "This Rare, White Bear May Be the Key to Saving a canadian Rainforest". The Smithsonian Magazine, September 2015.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/rare-white-bear-key-saving-canadian-rainforest-180956330/
Hedrick, P. W., & Ritland, K. (2012). POPULATION GENETIcS OF THE WHITE-PHASED "SPIRIT" BLAcK BEAR OF BRITISH cOLUMBIA. Evolution, 66(2), 305-313. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41460068