Kiokh the "White" Grizzly
Since she first appeared in 2009 with her mom and 2 siblings our "white" grizzly has captured the imagination of both guests and the staff at Knight Inlet Lodge.
Kiokh, she is named after a local mountain that is usually covered in snow, was featured on the NBC Today show during the 2010 Winter Olympics making her a very well known bear from an early age. A reluctant celebrity, she keeps her distance from both humans and other grizzlies, Kiokh is usually seen in the Glendale cove area from early August through the fall.
Researcher John Kitchin has studied Kiokh for a number of years and reports that she is occasionally seen in the company of a much darker grizzly that could well be one of her siblings. With Kiokh now 4 years old and close to breeding age John is interested to see if she continues her habit of staying away from humans once she has cubs.
It is important to note that Kiokh is neither an albino grizzly or a white black bear (more commonly called a spirit bear.) She is simply our "white" grizzly
Below are links to videos of Kiokh in 2009 and then from September of this year. She has grown! Please note the video from this year was taken in the evening with an infra red camera, that is not snow on the ground just grass in a low light setting!