These Ghostly Bears Are For Real

by Nina B., Age 11

Before reading the New York Times article, “Hair from Ghostly Bears Reveals New Genetic Secrets”, I had only heard of a Spirit bear once in an article I read for school. There was a picture of a small, delicate Spirit bear. It almost looked like an albino bear. The fun fact next to the picture said, “Spirit bears are not albino, or polar bears. They are their own rare kind.” I thought that was fascinating because, at that time, I didn’t know what they were. I started to wonder whether they were myths or not, (even though I was pretty sure they were real).

I remember a time at the zoo where I found myself looking into a bear’s sad, brown eyes and thinking they were adorable! I couldn’t help but smile! The bears that I saw were Grizzly's. Next to them was a sign of a life size bear standing on its hind legs. When I stood next to it, I was far below the halfway point.

Bears are majestic creatures that I fell in love with at first sight. However, some of these lovely animals are endangered. Whenever I look at those bears, I think to myself, “Why would anyone want to hurt these calm and sensible animals?”

This New York Times article caught my attention immediately because of the picture of a cute small shaggy white bear, next to a big black shaggy bear in the forest. When I saw “Ghostly Bears” in the title, I was drawn to the article because I love reading about something I’ve never heard of.

In British Columbia, tourists come to see the Spirit bears so saving these bears will also help the economy of the Central Coast of British Columbia. People try to conserve bears because they are unique and rare. The article showed me that by saving nature, we are also helping ourselves.“Hair from Ghostly Bears Reveals New Genetic Secrets” makes me want to protect animals more, starting with picking up any litter that I see on the ground or in the ocean.

Category: New York Times Summer Reading Contest Entry