Teddy Bear's Picnic

I've photographed a few black bears this year, but this was the only "blonde" coloured one, captured here feasting on dandelions down on the Atlin Road in June. The light ones are uncommon, but not rare in the southwest Yukon. Further south the white Kermode "Spirit" bear is found and nearby coastal southeast Alaska is home to the silver "Glacier" black bear. This one appears to have a mix of light colours including some reddish brown tones in the frontal areas, apparently genes from several subspecies present here. At first, I wasn't sure if it was a grizzly or a black bear. More images below:

 

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