Photo by Cristina Mittermeier Mitty / I waited patiently on the banks with my camera in hand and listened for the telltale signs of a massive creature: a rustling in the brush or maybe even a low growl. But when the spirit bear finally emerged on the far side of the river, it stepped carefully over the moss, as quiet as an apparition, and settled on its haunches to test the air. A smile tugged at the corner of its mouth while it took several giant sniffs through its long snout. This incredible animal is a subspecies of the American black bear with a special recessive gene that makes it all white. They live deep in the cedar and fir forests of British Columbia and are considered endangered. But thanks to the tireless efforts of Indigenous communities, who consider the bears to be sacred, they have been shielded from poaching for generations and we are still working on expanding protections for them today. Follow me mitty as I work with my partner PaulNicklen and our team SeaLegacy to he...