This Fearless Photographer Stood Up to a Polar Bear
Photographer Maxim Deminov was taking pictures of polar bears in Cape Kozhevnikov, Russia, when one curious polar bear decided to approach him and his camera. Instead of fleeing, Deminov repeatedly stood up to the animal and shooed it away. The encounter was captured in the 3.5-minute video above.
Polar bears are considered one of the most dangerous types of bears, but if you’re ever approached by one in a similar way, you may want to copy Deminov’s tactics.
“Polar bears are naturally curious, not fearless as they have been labeled,” Parks Canada writes in its polar bear safety brochure. “They are shy and prefer to avoid confrontations with humans and other polar bears.”
If a polar bear shows signs of being curious about you, the recommended response is to wave your arms over your head, talk in low tones, and move upwind so it can smell you. And if it shows signs of stalking or hunting you, expert advice is to get ready to fight with any potential weapon, make loud noises, and not run away.
Before going into polar bear country, however, you should always take necessary precautions and bring bear deterrents.
“To avoid or survive an attack, first, never go into bear country without a deterrent—either bear spray or firearms,” advises Professor Tom Smith of BYU. “Bear spray, also called pepper spray or capsicum deterrent, is a form of pepper spray used as a tool to minimize injury due to bear-human conflict. It is sprayed at a bear within close range and burns its eyes, nose, and mouth, but causes no lasting damage.”
Smith says that bear spray has been found to be 98% effective, and there have only been three reported cases in which a person used bear spray and was still mauled — none of them fatally.
