Man Escapes Charging Polar Bear in Norway’s Arctic Town

Pyramiden, Svalbard – A man had a close call with a polar bear while working at a hotel in the Arctic town of Pyramiden, Norway, on April 27. The dramatic encounter unfolded just before midnight when the man attempted to scare away the charging bear.

Rebecca Baack, a tourist at the hotel, captured the incident on video. She witnessed the man firing a flare gun at the bear, which then charged towards him. In a rush to escape, he dropped his rifle and leaped onto a running snowmobile to flee.

Baack described her fear for the man’s safety as she watched the polar bear chase him. “It was a huge relief to see him escape,” she said. “I wish he had had backup, but thank goodness he left his snowmobile running and pointed in the right direction.”

Following the close encounter, the man got into a pickup truck for added protection. Meanwhile, the polar bear sought shelter under the hotel, which stands on stilts. The animal remained in the area for some time, snacking on items from snowmobiles as hotel staff attempted to scare it away with truck horns.

“Once he finished, he left town and went back out in the direction of the sea ice,” Baack added. “The hotel did a great job keeping about 100 drunk tourists safe inside, which was no small task.”

Polar bears, known as the King of the Arctic, are commonly found in the Svalbard archipelago, which has an estimated polar bear population of around 3,000, exceeding that of the local human population. Visitors are advised to be cautious and to stay close to local guides when exploring the region.

The fate of both the man and the polar bear after the incident remains unknown.