“If it’s brown, lie down. If it’s black, fight back. If it’s white, say good night.” Gordon Buchanan, a BBC wildlife photographer, locked himself in a glass cage over a decade ago. Armed with a camera,
Buchanan begins narrating in what would turn out to be one of the outrageous interactions he would have with an animal. A polar bear sniffs the photographer and wants a piece of him, or rather, the whole of him.
Buchanan called the close-up call a moment of terror and comedy, and his face-off a “monumentally stupid thing to do”. In the video, Buchanan is standing inches away from the marine mammal with only the glass cage separating the two.
The polar bear aggressively sniffs, fiddles with, and attacks the cage, trying to grab hold of its fresh meal. Luckily for the human, the cage survives the many blows it receives from the mammoth animal. Buchanan’s decision to travel to Arctic Norway to film a family of polar bears didn’t end up in a disaster, fortunately.
What it did was the footage of him coming nose to nose with an 8-foot polar bear has achieved Internet archive legend status, as it surfaces on social media every so often, catching the new eyes off guard.
“Polar Bears Naturally Hunt Humans”
A Reddit user shared Buchanan’s incredible footage with the polar bear on Subreddit r/Damnthatsinteresting and wrote: “Polar Bears are one of the only creatures that naturally hunt Humans… Watch as this one tries to break into this BBC Cameraman’s glass box.”
The video, once again, caught the fancy of many.
“Imagine the bears frustration. It probably smelled that guy from 3 miles away and hiked all that distance only to find a tasty snack locked behind plexiglass (sic),” a user wrote.
Many also lauded Buchanan’s trust in the glass box in which he was temporarily housed.
“Its most definitely lexan, which is what the use for bulletproof windows and such. If they used a thick enough sheet then its plenty strong enough (sic).”
“Polar Bears Actively Hunt Humans”
The conversation also shifted towards the interest polar bears showed in devouring humans.
“But yes, the polar bear is the only mammal that actively hunts humans. To a polar bear, anything that moves is prey. All other mammals, tigers and lions included, avoid humans in general. They *know* we are also apex predators. But of course, that doesn’t prevent them from eating us if we are easy prey,” wrote one.
On r/Biology Subreddit, a user asked if polar bears were the scariest animals to humans.
“They are a bigger Grizzly bear, and are much more aggressive. They actively hunt and stalk humans. They rip you open and have no issues eating you alive. They barely show emotion. For them eating you is no big deal. You’re being ripped open by a polar bear devouring you with a cold look to their face.”
In a separate conversation that took place on a community dedicated to bears, another user noted why humans should steer away from the snow monsters.
“A polar bear is probably the worst land animal you could come in contact with. There are plenty of predators out there that you could stumble upon and you could scare them off or they wouldn’t see you as prey. Polar bears will definitely see you as prey if they’re hungry.”
Why Do Polar Bears Show No Mercy To Humans?
Polar Bears International organisation made a deep-dive into Wildlife Society Bulletin‘s 2017 study to understand and decode the polar bear attacks.
“Contrary to popular opinion, polar bears have been no more likely to actively hunt and kill people than black bears,” the PBI noted.
Referencing the study, Polar Bears International stated that nutritionally stressed adult polar bears posed a threat to humans.
Also Read: Hunter Killed By Mother Bear On Arctic Trip As Friends Watch In Horror
“Decreasing body condition for bears in some regions and in some years, and we show that nutritionally stressed adult male polar bears are the most likely to pose threats to human safety.”
It further noted that the Arctic becoming less icy meant polar bears made more contact with humans. This resulted in increased bear-human contact and conflict.
“The final “perfect storm” component is that, as the Arctic becomes less icy, more people, with less bear experience, are venturing into it – more tourists, more industries, more shipping. So, we have all the ingredients for increased polar bear-human contact and conflict.”
Polar Bear Fun Facts
According to the Nat Geo Kids, polar bears are found in the frozen Arctic, Canada, Alaska (US), Greenland, Russia, and Norway. A polar can measure over 2.5m long and weigh 680kg. Their sheer size made them the largest living carnivores on Earth.
Contrary to popular belief, polar bears are actually black under their glorious fur that helps them soak up sunlight and keep warm.
Seals are their favourite snacks. Polar bears have noses so strong that they can locate a meal from up to 16km away.
In short, stay away from polar bears. Unless, of course, your name is Buchanan.
