One gutsy, cool photographer!

teekay wrote in post #18675979
I suggest the guy wasn't stupid but knew exactly what he was doing, whether he was covered by someone with a gun or not.

We have lot of bears here in Canada, and here's some good advice I saw recently on a local paper although it doesn't cover polar bears.

https://vancouversun.c​om …8d49d?video_aut​oplay=true

Here's a momma black bear at our house with a cub, "bluff-charging" to warn me off (I was safely above her).

I agree. When I lived in Churchill, Manitoba I had a lot of polar bear encounters both planned and unplanned. What a lot of people don’t realize is that polar bears are fairly docile and live in a world of almost complete silence. They are usually deterred by little more than a loud vocalization or aggressive display. Of the operators that offer walking safaris out of Churchill none has ever had to destroy a polar bear and only every couple of years did we ever hear about a guide having to resort to the use of a bear banger (blank) to discourage a persistent bear. When incidents with polar bears do occur it tends to get over-sensationalized but most people living within polar bear range are infinitely more concerned about barren land grizzly bears where the ranges overlap. The bear in the video displayed typical behaviour. When encountering something previously untested polar bears tend to approach very cautiously, testing little by little to see if it is a potential meal. They don’t pounce on everything like they do with a familiar food source.

teekay wrote in post #18675979
Here's a momma black bear at our house with a cub, "bluff-charging" to warn me off (I was safely above her).

If that were me, I would have to change my underwear.

Here's a video that shows how to fight off a bear...

https://www.bing.com …A01A79D54FDC652​&FORM=VIRE

Perfectly Frank wrote in post #18676470
Here's a video that shows how to fight off a bear...

https://www.bing.com …A01A79D54FDC652​&FORM=VIRE

I remember that video from somewhere! Funny as...... well you know!

Thread title should be;
"One idiot, self engaged, butt head, showing complete disregard for his own and the subjects well being"


Not only is he stupid IMHO but the FACT is that he is harassing the wildlife, which IMHO removes him from the category of wildlife photographer and reduces him to a hole.

This sort of crap really pisses me off.

Think of the precious energy that young polar bear had to expel to deal with that duchebag,. it very well could be a life and death game he was playing, and I don't just mean the photographers.

Sibil wrote in post #18675744
On a TV show I saw, where they showed behind the scene of a photographer taking pictures of a polar bear, in Russia, the photographer had a pair of guys with high powered rifles flanking his camera setup, and keeping an eye on the bear, while the guy went about his shooting.
Maybe this photographer had a similar protection, not shown in the video.

Yeah, I'm especially impressed the idea of a "Wildlife photographer" that thinks it's kosher to kill a bear just to get a shot. for gosh sake, buy a longer lens and back off.


If you think you might have to shoot an animal to get the shot, you are doing it wrong. Period.

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #18676510
Thread title should be;
"One idiot, self engaged, butt head, showing complete disregard for his own and the subjects well being"


Not only is he stupid IMHO but the FACT is that he is harassing the wildlife, which IMHO removes him from the category of wildlife photographer and reduces him to a hole.

This sort of crap really pisses me off.

Think of the precious energy that young polar bear had to expel to deal with that duchebag,. it very well could be a life and death game he was playing, and I don't just mean the photographers.

I don't know how young the bear was, but if mama bear saw the photographer harassing her offspring, I would hate to think of the outcome.

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #18676514
Yeah, I'm especially impressed the idea of a "Wildlife photographer" that thinks it's kosher to kill a bear just to get a shot. for gosh sake, buy a longer lens and back off.

If you think you might have to shoot an animal to get the shot, you are doing it wrong. Period.

You've been to Africa, Jake. I'm sure you're aware that for liability reasons no one is going to take any group or individual on a walking safari around big game without being armed. The point is not to risk killing an animal just for a shot. You'll find the same thing for polar bear safaris around the arctic which, can be harder to access than most big parks in Africa. You don't just pop in polar bear territory without proper planning and protection. The use of a qualified outfitter is all but imperative. Shotguns and slugs are the weapon of choice but they are rarely if ever discharged for more than scaring a bear. With a good guide who understands polar bear behaviour the risk of destroying one is practically zero. Understand that polar bear safari operators are extremely vigilant in making sure that bears don't associate humans with food. The best operators even prohibit participants from using certain soaps and scents toward this end. As for getting a longer lens you have to consider that you are out on the tundra with nowhere to hide and a polar bear can run at a sustained 40kph (25mph) and sprint much faster depending on the bear. The only lens that might be able to offer you any protection if a bear wanted to get you would be called a telescope.

nqjudo wrote in post #18676570
You've been to Africa, Jake. I'm sure you're aware that for liability reasons no one is going to take any group or individual on a walking safari around big game without being armed. The point is not to risk killing an animal just for a shot. You'll find the same thing for polar bear safaris around the arctic which, can be harder to access than most big parks in Africa. You don't just pop in polar bear territory without proper planning and protection. The use of a qualified outfitter is all but imperative. Shotguns and slugs are the weapon of choice but they are rarely if ever discharged for more than scaring a bear. With a good guide who understands polar bear behaviour the risk of destroying one is practically zero. Understand that polar bear safari operators are extremely vigilant in making sure that bears don't associate humans with food. The best operators even prohibit participants from using certain soaps and scents toward this end. As for getting a longer lens you have to consider that you are out on the tundra with nowhere to hide and a polar bear can run at a sustained 40kph (25mph) and sprint much faster depending on the bear. The only lens that might be able to offer you any protection if a bear wanted to get you would be called a telescope.

I am not dismissing armed safari guides, your points are all good.
But tell me, would your well prepared vigilant polar bear outfitters take a shining to having one of their clients behave like the genius in the video linked?
I wouldn't think so, but I could be wrong.

Surely no African safari guide would tolerate that kind of idiocy with lions, or elephants.

I really don't see the examples you cite and the guy in the video as comparable ways of behaving around wild predators.

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #18676604
I am not dismissing armed safari guides, your points are all good.
But tell me, would your well prepared vigilant polar bear outfitters take a shining to having one of their clients behave like the genius in the video linked?
I wouldn't think so, but I could be wrong.

Surely no African safari guide would tolerate that kind of idiocy with lions, or elephants.

I really don't see the examples you cite and the guy in the video as comparable ways of behaving around wild predators.

Well Jake I think that the real answer is that it is unwise to make assumptions. We have absolutely no information beyond the short clip on which we can base any conclusion. To answer the question you put to me directly, I lived in Churchill for several years and spent a lot of time further north around Hudson's Bay which is accessible only by float plane and a VERY different scene from the tundra vehicle safaris that take place around Churchill. I saw a lot of bears by surprise and I took part in 5 or 6 guided excursions along the shore of the bay. I literally crossed paths with hundreds of polar bears and have thousands of pictures. Very few longer than 400mm. I can't speak for any safari operator but knowing absolutely nothing else about the video, how the bear approached, how persistent it was and what happened before this clip I can tell you that any behaviour or means used to discourage a bear from approaching on his or her terms is better than destroying it. Period. Was this guy behaving inappropriately? Unless you were there and know the exact circumstances I don't think you can say. Sometimes desperate measures are required. We simply don't know the larger context.