Rare MI 'Spirit Bear' Found Dead, Was Probably Killed By Wolves, Reports Say

MICHIGAN — A rare black bear with white fur was probably killed by wolves shortly after it was caught on camera in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, according to multiple reports.

The hunting group that caught the Kermode or "spirit bear" on camera wandering the woods of Michigan's Western Upper Peninsula told Fox News they found the bear's remains, including its white fur.

In addition, the Yooper Outdoors #906 group wrote in a Facebook chat that "our wolf population has devastated our big game populations in the U.P."

Although the group said the bear was probably killed by wolves, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources did not confirm the bear was dead, and said there's even a probability it could still be alive.

Moreover, DNR officials told the Detroit News that there has never been a documented case of a bear getting killed by wolves in Michigan.

Wildlife biologist and large carnivore expert for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Cody Norton told WWJ News the bear was "one in a million," because both the male and female parents of the bear contained a recessive gene for white fur, the result of a one-in-a-million chance.

It was the first time the "spirit bear" has been seen in Michigan, and just the fifth time one has ever been seen outside of British Columbia in Western Canada.

Spirit bears are not polar bears or albinos, but rather rare black bears with white or creamy fur, brown eyes, dark nose pads and nearly white claws. Only about 100 still exist, mostly in Western Canada, according to the Northwoods Ecology Hall.