Polar Bears

In response to many questions regarding Polar Bears.

Big, yes, but somehow still cute, cuddly and endangered, the majestic Polar Bear. Everyone loves them, well almost everyone. Personally, I would rather not even talk about them, as the mere thought makes me fidget uneasily in my chair. They are far from a priority at present but they owe me countless sleepless nights, and copious amounts of stress.   

Around the Bering Straits area the polar bears were a huge and potentially dangerous concern according to most, and were top of the list in conversations regarding the Straits.  Yet the bears were not my greatest worry. I kept a wary eye on the matter and was armed to the teeth but I did not appear to be as concerned as most everyone else we had spoken to. 

Polar bears are a unique species, a virtual marine mammal and the only large predator that is known to actively hunt humans. Other bears may take advantage of an opportune moment if hungry or attack if provoked, but they do not generally include humans in their daily menu. 

Horror stories abound, everyone in Alaska had a polar bear story. The polar bears we did meet on the ice were fleeting encounters and the animals left the scene in a hurry once they saw us. This is what I was expecting, having learned from literature and a few trusted friends, not the accounts of many a story teller. I was concerned, however, about a ‘tent invasion’. Night time was a different story, that’s where I saw the danger. There were numerous accounts from explorers and adventurers about tent invasions. Dmitry Shparo and his sons, when attempting the Bering Strait, had many encounters with tent invaders at night and some very alarming accounts. They credit a handgun on one occasion for saving their lives.  

Dimitri and I carried a .44 revolver with bear slugs for tent security at night. During the day we had a pump-action shotgun with solid slugs and flares. The idea being we have two flare rounds as bear scarers, the next rounds are to kill. I even went to the extent of fitting the gun with a reflex scope for use at night. We had practiced moving and shooting at night incase we had to, but certainly didn’t intend to. This included night vision equipment, again a precaution against bears. The night vision equipment gave us about a hundred yards advance warning. Given the broken and erratic surface of the Strait, we would not be afforded a lot of clear, flat ice (pending ambient light or moon state) to spot a moving bear at night. The Strait is close quarter combat. You’re surrounded by walls of broken blocks of ice, countless shapes, silhouettes and shadows. You would never see a bear in waiting. Without night vision, the first thing we would know of an encounter is when a 1000lb (plus) monster was around our throats. If you’re close enough to see it at night, there’s a good chance it’s too late.   

Bears are as at home in the water as on the ice. Again, we had drills for crossing open water at night, as the swimmer would have no chance at all if caught in open water. One would provide overwatch with night vision and shotgun. The other would take the handgun to the other side and cover the second on the crossing. 

 B.T.A

‘Bare Threat Anxiety’ was a term I adopted. This was a night time phenomena covering the Bering Strait crossing and moving through Chukotka. Many a sleepless night was had, with constant suspicion of something stalking around outside the tent. The arctic ice can be a noisy place at night. High winds rattling the tent and moving sea ice that makes the most amazing noises. Shifting, grinding ice can imitate screaming humans, car engines, howling foxes or coyotes, even the growl of a bear to the tired mind. However, the worst nights are when the night is still and a creepy silence descends. Now the smallest creek is the soft footstep of an approaching bear. With little sleep, this is B.T.A, it’s a constant pressure. This was only made worse in Russia because as foreigners we were not allowed to carry guns (even flare guns), and therefore can not defend ourselves. Nor were we allowed to bring hand held flairs into Chukotka. The best I could manage was to find some old fire crackers from one of the towns…. not a lot of use against bears. Should a bear decide to dine on adventurer one cold blustery evening, I’m as good as dead, and a very unpleasant death it would be.