Terrifying Encounter with Arctic Polar Bear | Operation Arctic | BBC Earth Explore

[@BBCEarthExplore]

How would you react? 😬

[@FMFvideos]

drop and roll

[@eamonahern7495]

I'd be driving away well before the bear could get that close.

[@steveosworld]

shit my knickers

[@fillhixx]

Perhaps smear myself in my own feces and urine. Likely unintentional….

[@janetmcintyre2428]

Ask yourself, why am I instigating a bear attack? All animals are living their own life..we humans, should understand, wild life, is wild...leave them alone to live.

[@Kfend72638]

That’s a lot of faith in that old Chevy

[@genosmith-cb6vq]

On Gawd that was big faith 😂😂

[@ShastaBean]

he said at the end it was "dodgey"

[@V8VORLICH]

Eeejit is lucky to be alive😂

[@roybm3124]

That was way to close, huge risk.

[@Xetairex]

“Too”

[@adamhuffman3354]

Yea by the look that bear was giving his intent is to EAT! People!

[@Big_AL_Nowitzki]

Omg it was soooo close 🥱🥱🥱🥱🥱🥱

[@Xetairex]

@@adamhuffman3354 Polar bears will attack humans with the intent to eat them. Yes. That’s because polar bears are the apex predators with fewer and fewer prey available every year, thanks to global warming shrinking their hunting habitat. They are opportunistic and will try to make a meal out of any prey if they can, including humans.

[@djshauny1264]

2

[@toothlessseer3153]

_The film crew was incredibly ignorant and should have started the vehicle at least 30 seconds earlier..._ REASON being: A polar bear is used to punching through thick layers of ice to get at seals. Its natural behavior is to punch through ice to get at its prey. To the bear, the glass on that vehicle would be like punching through cling-wrap; its paws would be inside before they had time to react.

[@maribellemontero6119]

I agree with you.

[@rahim9nine]

I love how the armchair experts love to criticise the actual experts all the time

[@toothlessseer3153]

​@@rahim9nine Timothy Treadwell was one such actual expert. He and his girlfriend were eaten by a bear.

[@cindoz1289]

​@@toothlessseer3153Tim wasn't anywhere close to an actual expert he was an expert in his own head 😂

[@mjlives5428]

@@rahim9nine So if that Bear leaned back and pushed forward when standing up on the window.. which it could have done in a 1 to 2 seconds....Your saying that we have it wrong and the idiot with the phone would have turned around to face the steering wheel...put the phone down.......turned the key....put it in drive and drove away before the bear pushed through the glass to grab him in less than 1-2 seconds??? I guess you need to be an expert to observe and have common sense eh genius?

[@Fiyaaaahh]

"They can punch through a window very very easily" Yet they let him get right up close to the car and put his paws on the window. That's Darwin award material.

[@bjornsundberg1947]

The window wasn't even up when the bear was right under it.

[@lombardy3274]

I’m shocked at how irresponsible these guys were. They should have gotten out of there sooner, and that bear has now had friendly contact with humans and will be curious for more.

[@thesaintst1851]

The only species of bear that actively hunts humans… scary

[@SHERMA.]

well it actively hunts anything its nose takes a liking too. its nothing to do with anything else, its naturally had no predators for 1000's of years and therefore shows few signs of fear no matter what its against. we see this all over the world from various animals that have no natural predators.

[@growingup4487]

finding food in tge artic is hard. i don't blame them

[@mikenewbold1699]

@@SHERMA. how dare you come here with common sense when you could just take the word of someone that heard something on the internet once

[@lukebarnes3157]

​@SHERMA. NO. Basically to answer this, Polar bears are the only bear that literally only eats meat. Therefore we are actually seen as food, a brown bear may kill you mainly defending its territory. But a polar bear sees you as food

[@Smokey2Mc]

I knew the "experts" would jump on this post, so predictable.

[@OLBICHL]

that was a bit reckless... the cost of your safety isn't worth a close-up shot of the bear

[@marcfitzhenry7581]

yes it is.

[@snexputana]

They are professionals, its not reckless

[@OLBICHL]

@snexputana if you say so it must be true then

[@marcfitzhenry7581]

@@OLBICHL you just don't like bears.

[@LudiCrust.]

@@snexputanait is reckless. That bear could easily break that window. It’s certain death. The polar bear will eat you so there’s no chance of it running off like a grizzly.

[@antoniotula262]

1:25 "If he gets too close, you can start the engine. " By the time he actually started the engine, the bear was on its hind legs standing right next to their truck with paws on glass it could've very easily broken. Maybe start engine now and put foot on brake while truck is in drive.

[@armandbourque2468]

Bimbo limey. Should never have been in the driver's seat.

[@genosmith-cb6vq]

He was just about to Donkey Kong them boys😳😳

[@hughdickson254]

"They can punch through ice" whilst filming it behind glass 😂😂😂

[@Boris_Chang]

Two polar bears are standing in front of a smashed up igloo. One bear says to the other: “I love these things-crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside.”

[@jimmypage1517]

White sharks say the same thing

[@johnpatmos1722]

The Far Side

[@kellyjofrey4192]

It’s a Far Side cartoon

[@Boris_Chang]

I remember that now. That was one of my favorite comic strips.

[@johnpatmos1722]

@@Boris_Chang It was in fact the first time I came across The Far Side, around 40 years ago! It was that memorable that I can still tell you what it was (the polar bears and the igloo) and where I was when I read it (the top lift shack at Mt Hood Ski Bowl).

[@TheRenster500]

50 feet is way closer than I thought he was going to say.

[@tjleaf3510]

These guys are idiots. They were waiting for a kiss before actually turning on the car

[@Badshah1237.]

2:24 what dangerous about that is:- EVERYTHING 😅

[@PenelopePitstop0078]

Oh Lord, when the big boy put half his force, if that, into his push, I about stroked out. Awesome capture❣️

[@asood666]

Even the window was rolled up too late. That was definitely a bad example they were setting up. The engines should have been turned on 30 seconds earlier. The windows should have been rolled up, and they should have driven away once the bear was 10 meters away.

[@markbergemann1894]

Should have left before the bear got to the car. They’ve acclimated the bear to approaching vehicles. They handled ‘terror’ pretty nonchalantly. So, that word in the title was just to get us to click. Pretty foul on a number of levels.

[@NaunetBastet]

You sound like you'd be great fun at parties!

[@Erin-uz2gf]

Another "the bear let the human live" moment there. Notoriety supersedes respect and intelligence.

[@jpjouster]

What not to do when encountering a polar bear.

[@Jay_Force_One]

I hate when people are naive. The cameraman guy was really pushing his limits because he knew they were in danger, but he didn’t take it seriously. That older dude was giving him subtle hints that he ignored. That vehicle should have been started and in gear long before the bear got there. That bear could have easily gotten into that vehicle and he put everyone in danger. Also no firearm? That’s wild. They shouldn’t have even been standing outside without a how powered rifle. Also a good idea to keep a high powered side arm on you as well.

[@carlhammill5774]

the guide was uneasy the entire time but was being friendly because he knew that cameraman just wanted the perfect close shot. What a huge risk to take just for photo.

[@andrewsims4123]

Gordon Buchanan worked with the legendary nick Gordon in south America, he knows exactly what he is doing and nature cameramen do not kill wildlife!

[@nodaeyj]

you clicked on the video that his naivety created. journalists will do anything for interesting footage. whether it was stupid or not, he got some captivating content.

[@brianjimenez5616]

His driver side door isn't even closed right. Super crazy.

[@ni-dirus]

It's honestly a little tragic that polar bears are so dangerous that they cant be allowed to be curious in the way black bears are. It's nice seeing and hearing about animals being curious about humans around their environment, like foxes climbing on a cameraman's back, birds preening themselves on someone's shoe, fish following particular divers every time they see them, etc But predators like polar bears and some sharks are so almost instantly deadly that they get denied the ability to explore the new thing in their environment, even when theyre not being aggrssive - because it's just not wise to take the risk. I love animal behavior and how when given opportunities they're curious and playful, and wonder what we could observe from such apex predators if they weren't such a threat to us

[@TheAlex8675309]

We are more afraid than we need to be. I live around black bears ( and wolves). My rule is, don’t hog the cheetos. Bears need to eat. They like their space, they’re mostly non aggressive. I think the polar bears are being starved by hunting , sealing, and climate change. That will make them more opportunistic and dangerous. You’ll notice that once the car moves, the bear moves on. Just looking. We bring so much unneeded fear to our animal encounters. Bring love and wonder and respect instead. It’s a beautiful world

[@ni-dirus]

@@TheAlex8675309 black bears behave entirely differently than polar bears. Polar bears have for as long as humans have interacted, eaten everything they can encounter because they don't know when they'll encounter another. And there's no warding them off without killing them - military personnel in the Arctic have stories after stories of having to literally use explosive devices to kill a polar bear because it wouldn't stop attacking a person no matter what they shot it with.

[@karagounis9469]

​@@TheAlex8675309you do realize that polar bears behaviour is very different from black bears or wolfs?! Just giving them space won't save you. Unlike brown bears or black bears who usually only attack humans if they invade their space or come to close to their offspring, polar bears absolutely see humans as prey

[@samia6888]

@@TheAlex8675309please don’t take the chance, your life is too precious.

[@NSER164]

@@TheAlex8675309that is complete arogonce. Nobody is hunting in the arctic that much. Polar bears are the complete top of the food chain with nothing to fear. A blackbear is certainly not. And they dont eat alot of meat. Mostly vegitation. Polar bears eat strictly only meat. There isnt anything els

[@Matt-cp9wh]

It was reckless put everyone in danger

[@QuickStix26]

They’re all there by their own accord. They live for this kind of shit.

[@consciousbubble]

Why would you even turn off that engine mate!!

[@schaudhry15459]

Why would they not go in a tank. Not hard for that bear to damage that engine

[@sommmeguy]

Imagine the only thing separating you from these bears is the walls of an igloo.

[@carlhammill5774]

look at that nervous glance by guide at 0:40. I knew was going to call it soon.

[@alexanderg1935]

They're not big cats. Being inside a vehicle doesn't turn you into a bigger animal. They see humans as prey and will try to smash through regardless. Their guide was right to be cautious.

[@davidsuch8942]

So cautious, his buffer zone is less than 50 feet. There's no way that's a reasonable safety net for his old, slow ass.

[@Mystipaoniz]

@@davidsuch8942 yeah, nothing seemed cautious here. Letting the bear this near the car, with his paws on the damn window, and he hadn't even started the car. It was foolish. That may work out well one time, two times, but maybe not the third time.

[@keijulkyl]

Once that bear clocked him with his nose, it was all over.

[@conormcnagger4703]

THAT WAS SO DUMB LMAO

[@Olifantenstaart]

0:38 I can’t bear all the puns

[@BBCEarthExplore]

Now that's just a bear-faced lie! 😉

[@CastleKnight7]

Barely a day goes by without pausing for thought.

[@aclark903]

@@CastleKnight7Was that a bipolar bear?

[@Romulan2469]

Joe Rogan would love this video. 😂

[@rancidcrawfish]

A completely avoidable "terrifying encounter"

[@jaysoncolbert6187]

And thankfully it started

[@flangecorp9789]

*Bear is literally touching the car Them: “Wind the window up.” 🤦

[@lifeistooshorttospendworrying]

“If it’s black, fight back. If it’s brown, lay down. If it’s white, good night.” Remember this old saying in bear country.

[@temp850]

Within forty or fifty feet before you get out of the way? A bear could cover that in about five to ten seconds. That seemed really irresponsible...on the face of things. You didn't even have the car idling. What if it failed to start as the bear put it's paws on the window?

[@TheRenster500]

Yea that guide of theirs was realllly being careless. I don't think those brits realized how dangerous that was! Also, 40-50 feet before you get back to the car? That's wayy too close! Should be over 100 feet

[@carlhammill5774]

​@@TheRenster500 Guide was guilty of being too accommodating. Watch guide eyes at 0:40 you can see he is uncomfortable with whole thing. Fine line between giving people what they wanted (close pics/video) without getting everyone killed.

[@schaudhry15459]

Forget all of it. Imagine if the bear damaged the engine. Shit would be a horror movie

[@taken4granite817]

"I TOLD YOU GUY TO STOP FILMING ME 😡😡😡😡"

[@Valerie-v9e]

Beautiful animals

[@Querencia7779]

Have you not seen Black Bears open car doors? Get away. Get the car started!

[@davehughes53]

This is why you don’t go bear watching unless you are driving

[@rubiconklbrutorowman7577]

Polar bear can pound n break car window relatively easily with well over 1,000-pound body and enormous two front legs strengths, but car engine started him off. Plus, they are inside not like seal under water bear can jumping into. All bears look innocent like big cat, but when they are ready to attack, then U now what they look like!

[@davindershergill2788]

Imagine if car didn't start? Also what if bear punctured the tyres

[@susanearl3384]

British guy busy with his phone when there were already cameras rolling (being the driver on top of everything) risked the lives of those in the vehicle.

[@yoginisatwork902]

The issue is, the bear learns something new by every encounter. So you shouldn’t let them too close, because they try to figure things out. Other people will come after you, and the bear will be smarter every time, trying to out smart you, because that’s his job as a predator.

[@almVancouver]

Bear: Yum, canned food.

[@swissblader8037]

Very reasonable people letting the bear come that close...

[@ogrebattle22763]

Such a handsome bear but behind that handsome face is a ferocious predator LOL...

[@UnleashthePhury]

Really should’ve not let it get to that point - lean on the horn and make it an unpleasant experience for the bear.

[@trinasthings]

Omg that was beautiful & crazy.

[@alexbowman7582]

You can have a pet big cat, it may or may not kill you. With polar bears it will kill you.

[@lizmrjas5352]

good thing the crew is quick to discern and pack up 💪👍🏆 though exciting close encounter 😅❤️✅💯

[@XavierGr]

Last video posted.... 4 years ago! What the hell happened to this channel?

[@FMFvideos]

they forgot the password, but they remember now

[@BBCEarthExplore]

We've been exploring and may have got a bit lost…but keep an eye on the channel for some exciting changes coming soon!

[@jonm7272]

They got eaten by polar bears 😂

[@vincentvega5686]

they got unplugged 🤣🤣🤣

[@miked8754]

they went back to get a better picture of that polar bear 😂😂

[@Lansolot]

Wow this may be the biggest risk BBC has ever taken, honestly insanely unprofessional. If that bear instantly changes moods he could be into that truck in a second

[@middlejester51]

The guide should have been in the driver seat. Why would he be a passenger conveying critical directions to a videographer?

[@artofsam]

Thats not a car thats a vending machine.

[@Vide0c8m17]

This guy is a hazard. The person in the area told you what to do and you completely neglected protocol and ignored him. This should be portrayed as a lesson needing to be taught. Not an ignorant person capturing a cool video

[@LiraeNoir]

Does anyone know what this "second body" is on the camera? 0:22 on the left, the grey box between the lens and the body itself. Seems way to big to just be the motor for the focus.

[@flyingshutters3438]

External power zoom I think (for operating the zoom ring with that rocker switch on the top). Either that or a follow focus unit.

[@matthew-jy5jp]

What a special and amazing experience that must have been. To see Apollo bear and it's own habitat in the wild it's so special.

[@jrosealmendras88]

Amazing❤❤

[@alexbowman7582]

There’s probably a 3rd person there we don’t see carrying a rifle just in case.

[@johnperrigo6474]

Right.

[@larscandland4072]

I forgot I subscribed to this channel

[@BBCEarthExplore]

We're glad you're still here! Keep an eye out for some exciting changes coming to the channel soon!

[@conradomota1000]

My thoughts exactly 😂

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

"Arctic polar bear" is redundant as polar bears only exist in the arctic.

[@ni-dirus]

Person probably got tied up between wanting to say "Arctic bear" and "polar bear" and accidentally said both tbf, we all have slip ups where we accidentally say two synonyms that make our statement redundant. My family and I keep a running tab on how many redundancies we accidentally say when hanging out, and "wet soggy towel" is one that comes to mind lmao

[@gms5089]

Hahaha, exactly. Team in the truck seems to know only slightly less about Polar Bears as the person at the BBC that uploaded this clip.

[@jonquiogue6755]

Wow that was pretty crazy not to start the car once the polar bear got soo close too the Suv...😲 even that young that young male would of easily smashed the window.... Very dangerous and so lucky!!!

[@flop7217]

to let the bear touch that car is utter nonsense

[@roncgc8428]

That's Churchill Manitoba. Oolar bear tourism capital of the world

[@9xqspx6]

40-50 feet is crazy close

[@JayAdams-ml5jf]

I'm not gonna try to outrun it. I'm gonna trip the camera man, and briskly walk away.

[@calgaryfreepress]

I'd have made sure the car was running and door's open when that thing was still 2 miles away

[@LoneStarStinger]

Everyone felt safe filming in those glass shark tanks till a great white smashed that one to bits with the camera guy inside too.

[@dustintacohands1107]

Why let the bear get so close?!?! Seems like he could have killed you way too quickly letting him come up to your window.

[@charliepersonalaccount5276]

Joe Rogan: "No that bear wants to eat you! He smells meat" 😂😂😂

[@snowgorilla9789]

He saw his lunch box

[@vw1098]

The bear slams and claws through layers of ice for food…… casually rolls window up and think their safe, I don’t understand people

[@maribellemontero6119]

Powerful animal...too risky.

[@freddygaulman5493]

Whats even crazier is knowing there are adults who will take their children to "experience" shit like this smh

[@gcruishank9663]

"40, 50 feet"? That's crazy.

[@Smokey2Mc]

That bear could have ripped him out that window if it really wanted too.

[@ianwatkins6202]

You don't mess with a polo bear!!!! You lose!!!!😮

[@johnmcintyre1965]

Had it been a full size male it would have definitely pushed thru' the window and had itself an all you can eat human buffet!

[@freedomcave6127]

These guys are fools.

[@ParissaKhoury]

Polar bears make excellent house pets

[@sharongibson1161]

Yikes !!😢 No thank you !!!

[@writerconsidered]

Not a bad bear. Just a bear being a bear. Get out of their territory.

[@godblessamerica8464]

This video would make Joe Rogen go crazy

[@calexico66]

The bear is looking at canned and hasn't a can opener.

[@americanpancakelive]

Honking the horn would have done the same thing.

[@TheAlex8675309]

Just looking for the crisps bag! Bears are hungry. . Never hog the cheetos🤠

[@93lornamae]

40/50 feet? Its a little close isnt it?

[@SamanthaConey-o1i]

Couldn't a genetically diverse group of Polar bears be released on South Georgia island to ensure species survival ?

[@ianaspinall7948]

Internet bear experts... ASSEMBLE

[@stefanpuffer]

40-50 feet? Way too close.

[@jimmyscoins7839]

Crap, locked the keys in the car

[@dogstar5572]

Arctic polar bear? Where else does a polar bear come from?

[@DBdilly123]

People are way too comfortable around bears

[@cormacwilkie1725]

Should be forty or fifty yards , not feet .

[@Guide504]

There is a reason the bear tours have high trucks, and it's not to keep them out of the snow!!!

[@fablewalls]

And that was just a small sub-adult male....

[@HerAeolianHarp]

Why do they liken the bear to a "juvenile delinquent"?

[@larrymarkowitz8386]

I’m guessing the bear prefers the humans in bag to that noisy can.

[@D8V1Dx]

4 years later

[@BBCEarthExplore]

Sorry! We've been exploring and may have got a bit lost…

[@azcardguy7825]

40-50 ft? Cutting it pretty close my guy

[@nr126]

It will smash your window and Drag you out

[@itsmeitstrue]

If that vehicle dont start theres a good chance one of those dudes gets ripped from the car