When we are descending from the ice cap on the east coast of Greenland there is a very small chance we will encounter polar bears. No matter how small the risk, we try to plan for it – at least if the consequences could be grave.
To gather theoretical knowledge about polar bears, their behavior, how to scare them and how to stop them, we have solicited the help of biologist and polar veteran Ian Gjertz. This afternoon he was kind enough to sit down with us for a few hours to give us our first lesson. Ian has worked several stints at Svalbard, been to Franz Josef land and Northern Canada. He has studied polar bears in the wild and have had several close encounters with them. He also happens to be a real nice guy and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves listening to his stories and asking questions.
October 29th, 2009
So, how DO YOU scare a polar bear? From what I heard, they’re fearless and you’re best shot is to simply avoid them…
October 29th, 2009
Hi Juliette, and thanks for commenting on our blog. Although stereotyped as being voraciously aggressive, Polar Bears are normally cautious in confrontations, and often choose to escape rather than fight. But you are right in saying that our best shot is to actually avoid them. And that is our intention as well. The statistical chance for us to actually encounter one is slim to none. You might find the Wikipedia article on Polar Bears interesting. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_bear