The King of the Arctic – Polar Bears of Svalbard

The King of the Arctic – Polar Bears of Svalbard

The world’s largest land-based carnivore… No natural predators (other than man with a gun of course)… Black skinned with transparent fur that appears white… The ‘Ursus Maritimus’ or Polar Bear – the King of the Arctic!

Actually there are only an estimated 20,000 Polar Bears in the World. To come meet the King of the Arctic, the best place is Svalbard. It is not called the land of the Polar Bears for nothing – there are said to be more Polar Bears compared to Humans!

As they are an endangered species from 1927, they are well protected by the governments and watched out for… which is why there are no safaris, tours, or similar kinds of activity surrounding the Polar Bears in Svalbard…

During the winters they can be spotted throughout the entire archipelago, while in the summers they migrate towards the north-east, following the sea ice (with their food, the seals)… Of course, all this is changing in the current unpredictable climatic conditions, this movement of the King may also change…

In the archipelago of Svalbard, they are known to move across the city and into the human settlements in their lands!

If you are one who is particularly excited by the sighting of the Polar Bear then Svalbard is the place for you, a place where you are the guest and the Bear is the King of the lands… There are a few things you need to keep in mind when you venture out to meet the King in Svalbard though…

The Polar bears are animals who are very curious, which is quite scary for a human, as they are giant bears who can weigh up to 1000 kgs  – makes them capable of inflicting serious injury, don’t you think? The blubber under their skin to keep warm is 10 cm thick! When in Svalbard, in case you see a Polar Bear approaching you, you are advised to immediately try and scare it away before it reaches you… (as mentioned a 800-1000kg animal coming charging at you can leave you quite helpless) By the way, they can reach speeds of 40 km/hour on land – so, whatever you do, do it fast… 😉

It is required to be armed while leaving the settlement area in Svalbard. If you have no training or practice in using a firearm it is best to always have the company of a local who is equipped with a firearm – can be easily booked as a tour! As you may have guessed, Pepper spray isn’t going to do the job with this predator 😉

All said and done, risk is involved in every situation, isn’t it? So, keeping all this in mind the only thing that you must be sure of is that if you want a perfect spot to sight the Polar Bears then Svalbard is the place for you!

All you need to remember is that here, we are merely guests of the Island’s King and true citizens – THE POLAR BEAR!