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Welcome back to Scary Bear Attacks! Today’s episode takes us to the Norwegian Arctic island of Svalbard. It is about 800 miles from the North Pole and 500 miles north of mainland Norway. Many areas in the Arctic are surrounded by cold ocean currents which make them too cold to support plant life. Svalbard is surrounded by relatively warm ocean currents which raise temperatures enough to allow some plants to grow. These currents bring warmer air to support 2026 species of mosses, lichens, fungi, and plants. The farther north and south you go toward the poles, the fewer species are present in ecosystems and the more specialized they have to be. Caribou are an example of a specialized species and are the only large mammals on the island that are not predators. The predators on the island include the Arctic Fox and the Polar Bear.
Svalbard was the center of a total solar eclipse on March 21st, 2015. This stunning natural phenomenon occurs when the moon passes directly between the sun and the earth, disturbing light and shadow patterns. I experienced being close to the center of a solar eclipse in August 2017 in western Idaho. It was one of the most intriguing moments of my life, and I have the photos to prove it.
The announcement of the solar eclipse created a rush for reservations at area hotels and housing rentals. The region only has about 2500 people and many of them rented a room of their home out to the 2000 eclipse fanatics for extra income.
Svalbard is a beacon for ringed seals, walruses, and Beluga Whales which are all primary prey for polar bears. Where you find prey you will find predators and polar bears are plentiful here as well. Locals know that they need to pack firearms any time they venture away from civilization for protection, but some visitors aren’t so savvy to the rules. The authorities in the area require anyone leaving inhabited areas to carry a hunting rifle or be accompanied by a local armed guard.
The danger polar bears present to unaware visitors is taken so seriously here, that Ronny Brunvoll, the head of the Visit Svalbard Organization states that security is number one, two, and three.
On the evening of March 20th, 2015, 37yearold Jakub Marvec was resting inside his tent for the evening. He had traveled to Svalbard with 5 of his friends, and they had pitched camp along a snowbank for the night. With temperatures hovering below zero and light fading by early afternoon, the campers found comfort in their tents. Each tent in the expedition had a highpowered hunting rifle leaning outside for easy defense. The group erected a security fence around their campsite which would alert them to any approaching bears and then snuggled into their warm sleeping bags.
The expedition also established a bear watch and Mrs. Hakova was on duty this evening. She had set up outside initially and eventually got weary, moving her bear watch inside to the comfort of her tent. She knew she could rely on the bear fence to alert her of anything serious, so she reclined with confidence.
He and his friends were from Prague, Czechoslovakia, and had made the arduous trip to the town of Longyearbyen with excitement. It was supposed to be like a vacation for them. Albeit, a cold one.
Unbeknownst to the expedition the fence they had erected had been placed too high. A hungry polar bear had been wandering the area, following its nose to its next meal when it stalked up on the camp in the night. It easily slipped right under the fence without tripping the alarm, exposing the sleeping campers to whatever the bear chose to do to them.
As the polar bear noiselessly padded through the camp, the scent of the sleeping people undoubtedly filled its nostrils. An overload of olfactory information was bombarding the bear's nose as it sniffed each tent, in turn.
For some unknown reason, the polar bear found Jakub’s tent most appealing. The fabric of the tent was designed to resist the rigors of wind and snow, but not the claws and teeth of polar bears. Its claws ripped through the tent with very little resistance, and it was quickly inside, atop Jakub.
Jostled awake by the polar bear's claws, Jakub opened his eyes to see the gaping maw of a polar bear less than three inches from his face. He yelled “Bear! Bear!” as he scrambled to keep the bear's jaws from clamping down on his face. Using his hands, he repeatedly redirected the bear's jaws from his head. The bear used its front paws to grab the man and drag him from his tent. Its claws tore long red streaks along his skin.