Meeting a Polar Bear
Polar Bear
© International Polar Foundation
Recently, Alain Hubert and Dixie Dansercoer made an unexpected encounter on the Arctic pack ice: they fell nose to nose with a polar bear!
This encounter was both extraordinary (because they are beautiful animals) and dangerous (because a bear can easily kill a man!) "It must have been a male of about 4 or 5 years old. He was standing 3 meters away from us, behind our sledges...", explains Alain, "He must have been following us for quite some time because he was evidently very hungry. Fear run over us of course. Since he did not seem to want to leave us alone, we decided to shoot in the direction of his paws so that he would abandon the game. When we returned to our break place, to make sure he had left, we discovered that he had even eaten the tea bags we had left behind...".
Even if polar bears look cuddly, playful and clumsy, they really are dangerous predators, quick as lightning when they hunt. Moreover, times are harsh for them because of climate change in the Arctic.
The polar bear's hunting territory is actually located on the pack ice, where he hunts for seals all year long. In recent years, pack ice has been melting extensively, thereby reducing their hunting territory. Some bears even have to look for food on dry land now and therefore roam around towns and villages for something to eat.
After the encounter, our explorers were on their way. They now have good weather conditions, even though the ice on which they are progressing is still very thin (between 20 and 40 cm thick). The ice drift is again moving favourably and the recent snow has made their progress more comfortable: fresh and shallow snow is perfect for skiing!
Latest news
- The ice drift is moving in the right direction again, allowing to gain kilometers during the night while they are asleep (lien dossier)
- Today, they should reach the 84th degree
- They are 2 kg lighter every two days
- No more aurora borealis in sight, the seasons are moving along
- It is no longer dark during the nighttimes; a shadowy light has taken over the darkness.
- They have been averaging a progression of 18 km per day since the beginning of the trek.
- The North Pole is 657 km away.
