Before we went to Svalbard, I was told stories about people being attacked and eaten by polarbears. Because of this, I surely had a lot of respect for the wilderness up there. I found some important information about one of the world´s largest predators in a Svalbardpamphlet:
"There are between 2000 and 3000 polar bears in the Svalbard area. The average adult bear weighs between 200 and 800 kg. Humans are foreign elements in the kingdom of the polar bear. The bear is extremely powerful and it can perceive us as potential prey. Even young animals, weighing less than 100 kg, can be very aggressive and dangerous.Be well prepared!
* Always be alert. Be aware of your surroundings, and keep to open areas.
* If you see a polar bear, retreat calmly and slowly. Never follow it!
* Most polar bears visits occur when camp has been established. If you are in a group, sit facing different directions so that you have a good view of the surroundings.
* Avoid placing campsites along the coast. The water and ice edges are natural places for polar bears to search for food.
* Use trip-wires with flares around the camp.
* Place food well away from the tent, but within view from the tent opening.
* Never prepare warm food in the tent. Polar bears are attracted to food odours.
* Be correctly armed at all times. Appropriate self-defence weapons against polar bears are big game hunting rifles and in addition a flare gun.
* Familiarise yourself with the use of these weapons before moving into the field. "
We didn´t see any live polarbears. That´s fine with me, although it would have been fantastic to see one on looong distance. I was quite alert - looking around myself every now and then to make sure that there was not a polar bear sneaking up from behind...
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