This article is particularly interesting to me because my dad used to find himself in this situation as an exploration geologist back in the day. He did a lot of work on the Svalbard archipelago in the arctic circle off of Norway.
He carried a .458 big bore rifle with him, the kind people hunt elephants and rhinos with, because few rounds are strong enough to penetrate the thick fatty layers in polar bear hide and still do enough damage to take them down.
There's a tragic story of a man on those islands who didn't make it back; he found himself running from a polar bear that had stalked him for several miles, and when he came upon a cabin he found the door locked. The polar bear killed and devoured him on the front porch. They're like terminators. They simply don't stop once they've got your scent.
A local guide used to jokingly tell researchers and geologists to shave the barrel sites off of their weapons so it didn't hurt so bad when the bears shoved them up their asses.
My dad's office is filled with photos of the polar bears of Svalbard, one of which was taken from about 70 yards away as they were taking their landing boat back to the anchored research vessel off shore. Very scary stuff. If the bears catch you it's over, in a very terrifying and bloody way.
20 yards, as mentioned in this article, is absolutely crazy it's so close. Those bears can cover that distance in about 10 seconds.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/08/17/arctic.rescue.ap/index.html
Researchers rescued from stalking polar bears
OSLO, Norway (AP) -- Three unarmed Polish researchers stranded on a remote Arctic island were rescued by helicopters as polar bears were closing in on them, officials said Wednesday.
The hairsbreadth escape took place on an island in Norway's Svalbard archipelago, about 650 miles from the North Pole.
"It was the worst imaginable situation. They were cold and wet, had no equipment or weapons, and were surrounded by hungry polar bears," said Peter Braaten of the Svalbard governor's office.
The men were rescued by helicopter Tuesday after 15 hours shipwrecked at the edge of a tiny bay between two glaciers, he said.
The three were aboard the Polish research ship Horyzont when they set out in a small inflatable boat to pick up equipment on one of the islands.
"Their boat capsized, and they lost all their equipment and weapons," Braaten told The Associated Press. He said they swam and clambered over chunks of floating ice to get to the island of Egdeoya.
Braaten said the ship repeatedly tried to send in another small boat to pick them up, but conditions were too rough. The ship finally used a harpoon canon to fire a rope to land, so it could send the researchers food and water. Then it called for help.
"They managed to start a fire, to keep warm and keep the polar bears away," he said, explaining that the men used the spark plugs from their capsized craft's outboard motor to get the fire going. The island has some dried grass and scrubby plants.
"It was a bit like 'MacGyver,' " Braaten said, referring to the adventure television series featuring a character who relies on science and his wits to solve problems.
Braaten said a least three polar bears looking for a meal where within roughly 20 yards of the three men when the helicopter picked them up.
"That is dangerously close," he said.
Polar bears have no natural enemies in their frozen domain and regard all other living things, including humans, as potential meals.
The three men, who suffered only minor scrapes and bruises, were flown directly to a Polish research base on the islands and dropped off for treatment.
He carried a .458 big bore rifle with him, the kind people hunt elephants and rhinos with, because few rounds are strong enough to penetrate the thick fatty layers in polar bear hide and still do enough damage to take them down.
There's a tragic story of a man on those islands who didn't make it back; he found himself running from a polar bear that had stalked him for several miles, and when he came upon a cabin he found the door locked. The polar bear killed and devoured him on the front porch. They're like terminators. They simply don't stop once they've got your scent.
A local guide used to jokingly tell researchers and geologists to shave the barrel sites off of their weapons so it didn't hurt so bad when the bears shoved them up their asses.
My dad's office is filled with photos of the polar bears of Svalbard, one of which was taken from about 70 yards away as they were taking their landing boat back to the anchored research vessel off shore. Very scary stuff. If the bears catch you it's over, in a very terrifying and bloody way.
20 yards, as mentioned in this article, is absolutely crazy it's so close. Those bears can cover that distance in about 10 seconds.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/08/17/arctic.rescue.ap/index.html
Researchers rescued from stalking polar bears
OSLO, Norway (AP) -- Three unarmed Polish researchers stranded on a remote Arctic island were rescued by helicopters as polar bears were closing in on them, officials said Wednesday.
The hairsbreadth escape took place on an island in Norway's Svalbard archipelago, about 650 miles from the North Pole.
"It was the worst imaginable situation. They were cold and wet, had no equipment or weapons, and were surrounded by hungry polar bears," said Peter Braaten of the Svalbard governor's office.
The men were rescued by helicopter Tuesday after 15 hours shipwrecked at the edge of a tiny bay between two glaciers, he said.
The three were aboard the Polish research ship Horyzont when they set out in a small inflatable boat to pick up equipment on one of the islands.
"Their boat capsized, and they lost all their equipment and weapons," Braaten told The Associated Press. He said they swam and clambered over chunks of floating ice to get to the island of Egdeoya.
Braaten said the ship repeatedly tried to send in another small boat to pick them up, but conditions were too rough. The ship finally used a harpoon canon to fire a rope to land, so it could send the researchers food and water. Then it called for help.
"They managed to start a fire, to keep warm and keep the polar bears away," he said, explaining that the men used the spark plugs from their capsized craft's outboard motor to get the fire going. The island has some dried grass and scrubby plants.
"It was a bit like 'MacGyver,' " Braaten said, referring to the adventure television series featuring a character who relies on science and his wits to solve problems.
Braaten said a least three polar bears looking for a meal where within roughly 20 yards of the three men when the helicopter picked them up.
"That is dangerously close," he said.
Polar bears have no natural enemies in their frozen domain and regard all other living things, including humans, as potential meals.
The three men, who suffered only minor scrapes and bruises, were flown directly to a Polish research base on the islands and dropped off for treatment.
It'd have to be an eyesocket shot actually
