This story appears in the August 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine ... what the Gitga'at call mooksgm'ol, the spirit bear, a walking contradiction—a white black bear.

This story appears in the December 2017 issue of National Geographic magazine ... The formal name is Kermode bear. Locals call them ghost, or spirit, bears, and some believe they’re sacred ...

(Spotting a spirit bear takes a lot of patience, even more luck, and the expert tracking skills of a local guide.) When to Go: From late August to the middle of October, thousands of returning ...