Polar bears vs. walrus - unique photos
Unique set of photos of a walrus straightening out the neighbourhood thugs: http://www.nordlys.no/bilder/article6048383.ece
"Jon ended up in the middle of the polar bear and walrus-match
"Jon Sandmo is working as a doctor and tour operator on Svalbard, and constantly see both walrus and polar bear, separately, of course.
But last Saturday he saw something he had never seen before: two polar bears and a walrus who stared each other down in an intense confrontation.
- I always stay in Longyearbyen, and has a cabin at the Svea mine. I sat in the cabin and looked out the window when I saw a male and a female polar bear by the water, says Sandmo to Nettavisen.
- I saw them through the binoculars, they were about two miles from the cabin, so I took the snowmobile to get a little closer, says Sandmo, who first told his story to NRK.no.
Saw tusks
When he was about 100 meters from the bears, he saw what he first thought was a seal in the water right next to the bear.
- It was a bit big for a seal, I thought. Then I saw the tusks come out of the water, and realized that it was a walrus, says Sandmo.
The doctor and tour operator says that the female was most active, in what he describes as a sort of power struggle between the animals. Ha has no doubt as to who would have won if they had flown at each other.
- A polar bear is no match for a walrus, especially if the walrus is in the water, as it was now. Polar bears can take sick or injured walruses, but not the one I saw on Saturday, says Sandmo.
After a long staring contest and a bout of "feather flaring" both bear couple and and walrus each went their own way."
Translated (by me, sorry) from an original article in Nordlys: http://www.nordlys.no/nyheter/article6048367.ece
"Jon ended up in the middle of the polar bear and walrus-match
"Jon Sandmo is working as a doctor and tour operator on Svalbard, and constantly see both walrus and polar bear, separately, of course.
But last Saturday he saw something he had never seen before: two polar bears and a walrus who stared each other down in an intense confrontation.
- I always stay in Longyearbyen, and has a cabin at the Svea mine. I sat in the cabin and looked out the window when I saw a male and a female polar bear by the water, says Sandmo to Nettavisen.
- I saw them through the binoculars, they were about two miles from the cabin, so I took the snowmobile to get a little closer, says Sandmo, who first told his story to NRK.no.
Saw tusks
When he was about 100 meters from the bears, he saw what he first thought was a seal in the water right next to the bear.
- It was a bit big for a seal, I thought. Then I saw the tusks come out of the water, and realized that it was a walrus, says Sandmo.
The doctor and tour operator says that the female was most active, in what he describes as a sort of power struggle between the animals. Ha has no doubt as to who would have won if they had flown at each other.
- A polar bear is no match for a walrus, especially if the walrus is in the water, as it was now. Polar bears can take sick or injured walruses, but not the one I saw on Saturday, says Sandmo.
After a long staring contest and a bout of "feather flaring" both bear couple and and walrus each went their own way."
Translated (by me, sorry) from an original article in Nordlys: http://www.nordlys.no/nyheter/article6048367.ece