{"id":46,"date":"2015-01-30T21:12:52","date_gmt":"2015-01-30T21:12:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/abealfreader3\/?post_type=chapter&p=46"},"modified":"2022-07-22T20:07:11","modified_gmt":"2022-07-22T20:07:11","slug":"the-rare-spirit-bear","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/abealfreader3\/chapter\/the-rare-spirit-bear\/","title":{"raw":"The Rare Spirit Bear","rendered":"The Rare Spirit Bear"},"content":{"raw":"

Click play on the following audio player to listen along as you read this section.<\/p>\r\nhttps:\/\/media.bccampus.ca\/id\/0_mqy1fg8z?width=608&height=70&playerId=23449753\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_95\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]\"\"<\/a> Spirit bear[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThere are lots of wonders in the Great Bear Rainforest. There are trees that are more than a thousand years<\/strong> old. There are waterfalls rushing off mossy<\/strong> mountains. There are wolves that fish --\u00a0and there are black bears that are white. These bears are known as \"spirit bears.\"\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_302\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"400\"]\".\"<\/a> Great Bear Rainforest[\/caption]\r\n\r\nSpirit bears are rare. They are only<\/strong> found in British Columbia. In all of British Columbia, only about 1 in 100 black bears has white fur. Most spirit bears live in the Great Bear Rainforest. This rainforest is on the coast of British Columbia. On some of the islands in the Great Bear Rainforest as many<\/strong> as 1 in 3 black bears has white fur.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_304\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"450\"]\".\"<\/a> Spirit bear eating[\/caption]\r\n\r\nSpirit bears, like other black bears, eat plants such as berries, nuts, and fruits. They also eat small animals such as baby<\/strong> deer and baby<\/strong> moose. Most of all, they love salmon. Spirit bears have an easier time than black bears at catching salmon. Their white fur makes them harder for the salmon to see. After getting nice and fat over the spring, summer, and fall, the bears sleep in their dens all winter. During the winter, spirit bears can go without food for up to seven months.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_241\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]\".\"<\/a> Spirit bear cub[\/caption]\r\n\r\nSpirit bears mostly<\/strong> live alone. They mate in the summer but do not stay with their partner. The mother gives birth in January<\/strong> or February<\/strong>. By<\/strong> the time the cubs are a year<\/strong> and a half old, they are ready<\/strong> to go out on their own.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_373\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"400\"]\".\" Gitga'at Territory[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThe Great Bear Rainforest is the traditional land of 12 different First Nations. These First Nations groups have never hunted the spirit bear. It is now against the law for anyone in British Columbia to hunt a spirit bear. Without the threat of people or any<\/strong> other animals, spirit bears can live to over 25 years<\/strong> old.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_307\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"400\"]\"warning<\/a> Pipeline[\/caption]\r\n\r\nYet<\/strong> many people say the spirit bear is at risk. A company<\/strong> called Enbridge would like to put a pipeline through the Great Bear Rainforest. The pipeline would carry<\/strong> oil. The oil would then be shipped across\u00a0the sea to Asia on oil tankers. Some people are worried about oil spills. A big oil spill in the Great Bear Rainforest would destroy the place where most of the spirit bears on earth live. A big oil spill would kill many<\/strong> plants, fish, and animals that the spirit bear eats. Oil spills are difficult to clean up.\r\n\r\nEnbridge says the spirit bears are not at risk. They say pipelines and oil tankers are very<\/strong> safe. They also say that the pipelines will help people in lots of ways. Building pipelines will create jobs for local people. Enbridge will pay taxes to the government, which can be used for schools and hospitals.\r\n\r\nIs the spirit bear at risk? What do you think should become of the home of the spirit bear?\r\n

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Word Patterns<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n

\r\n\r\nThe letter\u00a0y<\/strong>\u00a0can make lots of different sounds, depending on where it shows up in a syllable.\r\n\r\nA syllable that begins with\u00a0y<\/strong>\u00a0usually makes a \/y<\/strong>\/ sound like in\u00a0yellow<\/strong> and these words from the story:\r\n