MORE POLAR BEARS

These shots were taken in Svalbard, the other top polar bear viewing hotspot (other than Churchill, Canada, that is). Polar bears are intensely curious, and will often come close to check out a ship travelling through the ice.

This bear approached the ship from a distance, getting closer and closer, to the delight of the tourists on board. Frequently pausing to examine things of interest, such as his reflection, the bear eventually got to within 5 metres or so of the ship, and then patrolled up and down the length of it, sniffing frequently- the smells from the galley clearly intriguing him (and me, too. The food on board expedition ships is usually extremely good).

Finally, realising that the galley was inaccessible, he retreated a little, and settled down to enjoy a roll in the snow and indulge in a little tourist watching. 

Polar bears are always a joy to see, and this one was particularly endearing. It's a tragedy that such charismatic and majestic animals are becoming increasingly threatened by the results of human activities and the recession of the pack ice that they require to hunt on.  

POLAR BEARS

As a rule, the arctic is a more difficult area to photograph than the antarctic. The wildlife is less prolific and tends to be more skittish. This can be solely attributed to mankind. Nobody lives in antarctica, so the animals have no reason to fear humans. The arctic, however, has been conquered by many, from Vikings and Inuits to Jeremy Clarkson and the Top Gear lads. And this makes the animals understandably nervous of humans. This polar bear in Spitsbergen took one look at our ship and took off like a rocket.

In Churchill, Manitoba ("Polar bear capital of the world...") however, it's a different story. The bears here have learned to exist alongside humans- or maybe vice versa. The bears gather in Churchill each year, waiting for the pack ice to form before going off and hunting seals on it. They pass the time by wandering up and down main street, doing a bit of window shopping and hanging out at the local landfill site. Which means that when in Churchill, you need to listen out for the bear siren, and then get off the street while the largest and most dangerous land carnivore on earth saunters past your bedroom window...

Polar bears are deceptive. Like many iconic animals, exposure to polar bear imagery can make you feel that they are cuddly and rotund fluffballs that wouldn't really hurt a fly. The late lamented advertising guru John Webster had them selling Cresta soft drinks in sunglasses and uttering the catchy phrase 'Rimsky-Korsakov'. But sadly, I've never known one to actually do this.

Actually, they are very large and formidable hunters, and fast on their feet. It's easy to forget that bears can move as fast as horses when they want to. They are sensorially (is that a word?) acute, with excellent smell and vision. A polar bear can smell a seal from a couple of miles off. Anyone still thinking that these animals are cuddly would do well to check out the claws on the paw shown below. And then run away fast.