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USA Today
30-04-2025
- USA Today
Watch terrifying moment as man narrowly escapes polar bear as it charges at him in Norway
Watch terrifying moment as man narrowly escapes polar bear as it charges at him in Norway Show Caption Hide Caption Harrowing video captures polar bear chasing man on snowmobile A man was lucky to outrun a charging polar bear on a snowmobile after a gunshot didn't scare the predator in the Arctic town of Pyramiden. It was almost like a scene out of a movie as a man dropped everything and jumped onto a snowmobile to escape a charging polar bear in Norway. Dramatic video footage captured by Rebecca Baack, who was staying at a hotel in the Arctic town of Pyramiden on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard for a ski expedition, shows the man firing a gun at the polar bear. In response, the wild animal charges at him, prompting him to drop his rifle and run. The man then hops onto a snow mobile and zooms away as the polar bear continues to chase him before eventually giving up and sitting down. People can be heard lauding the man's courage in the video, with one exclaiming: "Damn, very brave guy." 'Terrifying' experience Baack told USA TODAY April 29 that she was "terrified" for the man as she watched the incident, which occurred around midnight on April 27, unfold in front of her eyes. "It was a huge relief to see him escape," Baack said. "I wish he had had backup but thank goodness he left his snowmobile running and pointed in the right direction." Baack said she believes the man worked for the hotel and was trying to scare away the carnivore with a flare gun but the gun "unfortunately banged behind the bear, driving him in the wrong direction." The man later got into a pickup truck for more protection, Baack said, while the polar bear went under the hotel, which is on stilts. However, the bear didn't leave until he ate all the snacks he got from one of the snowmobiles, even though hotel employees kept trying to scare him away using truck horns. "Once he finished, he left town and went back out in the direction of the sea ice," Baack said. She added that the "hotel did a great job keeping about 100 drunk tourists safe inside, which was no small task." Polar bears outnumber humans in Svalbard Polar bears, also known as the King of the Arctic, are not uncommon in the Svalbard archipelago and Barents Sea, according to tourism agency Visit Svalbard. The agency estimates their population to be around 3,000, which exceeds the human population. While polar bears are considered a marine mammal and spend most of their life on drifting sea ice, Visit Svalbard advises visitors to be prepared to encounter a polar bear anywhere in Svalbard. "Polar bears attack extremely quickly without warning," the agency said. "Be accompanied by a local guide with a firearm when leaving the settlements." It not immediately known if the man in the encounter was a tourist or local, and what happened to him and the polar bear after. Svalbard is about a three-hour flight from Oslo. Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@ and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
NDTV
30-04-2025
- NDTV
In Chilling Video, Man Escapes Polar Bear As It Charges At Him In Norway
Quick Take Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. A man in Svalbard evaded a polar bear attack using a snowmobile. The incident occurred on April 27, provoking the bear with a warning shot. After dropping his rifle, he fled on the snowmobile, escaping the bear's charge. A man in Norway's Svalbard archipelago narrowly escaped a polar bear attack by escaping on a snowmobile. The incident took place on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard on April 27, when the man attempted to scare the polar bear away by firing a warning shot, but it charged towards him. He then dropped his rifle and sprinted to a nearby snowmobile, narrowly escaping as the bear gave chase, before speeding to safety. The bear eventually gave up and sat in the snow. "Very brave guy!", a person says off-camera in the video, while another adds, "Damn, that guy is brave!" Here's the video: Polar Bear Crashes Party in Pyramiden Late Sunday night, a polar bear wandered into Pyramiden, Norway, an old mining town-turned-tourist spot run by a Russian company. Guests were mid-party at the hotel when the bear showed up. Warning shots didn't scare it off, and one… — Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) April 29, 2025 Rebecca Baack, who filmed the incident, said she was "terrified" as she watched the man narrowly escape the polar bear. Notably, Ms Baack was a visitor staying at a hotel in Pyramiden for a ski expedition, as per USA Today. She credited the man's quick escape to having his snowmobile ready to go. Ms Baack believed the man, possibly a hotel worker, tried to scare the bear with a flare gun, but it backfired and provoked the bear instead. After escaping on the snowmobile, the man took further shelter in a pickup truck. Meanwhile, the polar bear went underneath the stilted hotel and refused to leave until it had eaten snacks from one of the snowmobiles, despite hotel staff trying to scare it away with truck horns. Ms Baack also commended the hotel staff for their swift response and effective crowd control, noting they successfully kept around 100 tourists safe inside during the polar bear encounter. The Visit Svalbard tourism website describes the polar bear as the "King of the Arctic" and "one of the world's largest carnivores. The agency estimates its population to be around 3,000, which exceeds the human population. "Polar bears attack extremely quickly without warning. Be accompanied by a local guide with a firearm when leaving the settlements. Adult polar bears vary in size from [440 to 1,763 pounds]. Humans are considered alien in the polar bear habitat, and a polar bear may see us as potential prey. The polar bear is incredibly strong and even cubs weighing under [220 pounds] can be extremely aggressive and dangerous", the website warned.
Indian Express
30-04-2025
- Indian Express
Polar bear charges man in Norway, dramatic snowmobile escape goes viral
A video of a close call with a polar bear in Norway turned into a dramatic escape for a man who was forced to flee on a snowmobile after the animal suddenly charged at him. The chilling encounter video has left the Internet stunned. The incident occurred on Sunday, April 27, near the remote Arctic town of Pyramiden in Norway's Svalbard archipelago, USA Today reported. According to witnesses, the man had a snowmobile nearby, a stroke of luck that saved his life. In a heart-pounding video captured by Rebecca Baack, the man can be seen noticing the polar bear running in his direction. He initially tries to shoo away the animal by firing what appeared to be a flare gun. After a moment's hesitation, the bear suddenly charges, prompting the man to drop the weapon and make it to his snowmobile. He quickly jumps aboard and speeds off, with the polar bear briefly chasing after him before stopping and sitting down in the snow. 'Very brave guy!' one person can be heard saying behind the camera. Another person said, 'Damn, that guy is brave!' Baack, who shot the video, was a visitor staying at a hotel in Pyramiden for a ski expedition. She identified the man as a hotel employee and said he was likely attempting to scare the animal off with a flare gun, the report said. Unfortunately, the shot 'banged behind the bear, driving him in the wrong direction,' USA Today quoted Baack as saying. After the chase, the man reportedly sought protection by getting into a nearby pickup truck. Meanwhile, the polar bear wandered beneath the hotel building. Baack said the bear eventually helped itself to snacks stored on one of the snowmobiles, ignoring repeated efforts by staff to scare it off using truck horns, the report said. 'Once he finished, he left town and went back out in the direction of the sea ice,' she said. Despite the tense situation, Baack praised the hotel staff for their quick response and crowd control. 'The hotel did a great job keeping about 100 drunk tourists safe inside, which was no small task,' she said. Watch here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by New York Post (@nypost) The video prompted numerous reactions, with a user commenting, 'Can you imagine if the keys weren't in the ignition?' Another user wrote, 'If he didn't start the snowmobile, this minute the bear would have had a free lunch.'
New York Post
29-04-2025
- New York Post
‘Very brave' man's quick thinking helps him avoid death by polar bear: video
Sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you – unless you run really fast. A Norwegian worker narrowly avoided being a polar bear's dinner in a wild recent encounter caught on video. The man is seen in the footage first firing off a round from his rifle to try to warn the bear off from the Arctic town of Pyramiden. 3 A Norwegian man narrowly avoided being a polar bear's dinner in a wild recent encounter caught on video. Rebecca Baack via Storyful The ploy doesn't work, and the polar bear, whose species can reach speeds of 25 mph, gives chase. The man then tosses his rifle and sprints toward a nearby snowmobile, bear-ly escaping with his life as he speeds away. The polar bear, realizing his prey got away, squats in the snow. 'Very brave guy!' a person says off-camera in the video, while another adds, 'Damn, that guy is brave!' The incident took place on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. 3 The man decided to drop his gun and tried to outrun a charging polar bear on a snowmobile in the Arctic town of Pyramiden on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. Rebecca Baack via Storyful Rebecca Baack captured the dramatic video while staying at a nearby hotel during a ski expedition. 'I was woken up around midnight with someone saying there was a bear. A staff member was trying to scare it away when the bear charged him,' Baack told Yahoo News. According to Visit Svalbard, a tourism agency, polar bears are known to populate the region, and it warns visitors to be prepared to encounter the fearsome animal anytime, anywhere. 3 The polar bear couldn't catch up to the man escaping in his snowmobile and squats in the snow. Rebecca Baack via Storyful Polar bears attack 'quickly, without warning,' the site says, encouraging tourists to be accompanied by an armed local guide when leaving settlements. Although rare, polar bears attacks occur. In December, The Post reported on a Canadian man who heroically lunged at a polar bear attacking his wife in rural Ontario. The couple was looking for their pet dogs at the time. A neighbor arrived with a gun and shot the bear several times, killing it. In August, a pair of the bears also mauled a worker to death at a remote site in the Canadian Arctic.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Man drops gun, flees charging polar bear by hopping on snowmobile, video shows
A dramatic video captured a man fleeing a charging polar bear in Norway after dropping his gun and hopping onto a snowmobile. The incident reportedly unfolded in Pyramiden – an Arctic town in the archipelago of Svalbard – in late April. "I was woken up around midnight with someone saying there was a bear," Rebecca Baack, who was staying at a hotel, told Storyful. "A staff member was trying to scare it away when the bear charged him." Footage taken by Baack begins with the sounds of gunfire and a person running from a polar bear. Husband Leaps Onto Polar Bear That Lunged At Wife In Surprise Attack: Police The individual then drops their weapon and jumps onto a snowmobile before speeding away. Read On The Fox News App As the snowmobile races out of the frame, the polar bear stops its pursuit. "Damn, that guy is brave," a female voice is heard saying. Colorado Black Bear Attacks 74-Year-old Man After Breaking Into Home The Visit Svalbard tourism website describes the polar bear as the "King of the Arctic" and "one of the world's largest carnivores." "Polar bears attack extremely quickly without warning. Be accompanied by a local guide with a firearm when leaving the settlements," it warns. "Adult polar bears vary in size from [440 to 1,763 pounds]. Humans are considered alien in the polar bear habitat, and a polar bear may see us as potential prey. The polar bear is incredibly strong and even cubs weighing under [220 pounds] can be extremely aggressive and dangerous," it also article source: Man drops gun, flees charging polar bear by hopping on snowmobile, video shows
