Latest news with #RebeccaBaack
American Military News
30-04-2025
- American Military News
Viral Video: Polar bear charges at man, forces him to flee on snowmobile
A viral video shows a polar bear charging at a man who was forced to drop his gun and escape on a snowmobile in Norway. According to Fox News, the video was recently recorded in Pyramiden, an Arctic town in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. The Daily Mail reported that Pyramiden residents had been attempting to scare bears away from the area after a polar bear was found near multiple snowmobiles. Rebecca Baack, who was staying at a hotel in Pyramiden as part of a skiing expedition, recorded the viral video and told Storyful, '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's video shows a man firing a weapon as a polar bear starts running toward him. The man can then be seen dropping the weapon and running toward a snowmobile in an effort to escape the charging polar bear. The bear can also be seen continuing to chase the man on the snowmobile before finally ending the chase. This is crazy 🤯 Terrifying fact about polar bears: they are one of the very few animal species that actively see humans as prey 😳 — Nature is Amazing ☘️ (@AMAZlNGNATURE) April 28, 2025 According to The Daily Mail, the man featured in the viral video was a Russian mining manager. The Daily Mail reported that a source at Arktikugol, a Russian Arctic coal company, claimed that the recent polar bear incident in Pyramiden occurred as roughly 80 people were staying in the town. 'Bears frequently enter Pyramiden because their migration route runs through the area,' the source told The Daily Mail. 'Some bears are aggressive, while others are more timid and skittish.' READ MORE: Pic: Massive bear charges hunter, shot with pistol According to Visit Svalbard's tourism website, the polar bear is 'one of the world's largest carnivores' and is known as the 'King of the Arctic.' 'Polar bears attack extremely quickly without warning. Be accompanied by a local guide with a firearm when leaving the settlements,' the website 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.'
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.
Perth Now
30-04-2025
- Perth Now
Man sprints for his life as Polar Bear chases him
Rebecca Baack was staying at a hotel in Svalbard for a ski expedition last month when she captured the video from her balcony. Credit: Adobe / 7NEWS/Rebecca Baak An eyewitness has captured the terrifying moment a man desperately sprints away from a charging polar bear on a remote Arctic island in the town Pyramiden. Rebecca Baack was staying at a hotel in Svalbard for a ski expedition last month when she captured a video from her balcony of a man who appeared to attempt to scare away a polar bear by shooting a rifle. After the rifle was fired, the polar bear lumbers towards the man across what looks like a car park as the man quickly sprints away over a wall and into deep snow. The man makes a bee-line for a snowmoblie which is luckily only parked a few meters away from him and jumps on it, throwing his rifle in the snow just before the bear reaches him. As the man zooms off to safety the bear stops for a moment then continues to chase in the wake of the snowmobile. After realising it's not going to catch the snowmobile the polar bear sits for a moment, looking slightly defeated.
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.'
