A video shows a man escaping a charging polar bear by jumping on a snowmobile after dropping his gun.
The event occurred in late April in Pyramiden, an Arctic town in Svalbard.
Rebecca Baack, a hotel guest, said she was awakened around midnight and told about a bear. She added that a staff member tried to scare the bear away, but it charged.
Baack’s video starts with gunshots and someone running from the animal.
The person then drops their gun and gets on a snowmobile.
The polar bear stops chasing as the snowmobile speeds away.
A woman can be heard saying that the man is brave.
The Svalbard tourism website calls the polar bear the “King of the Arctic” and “one of the world’s largest carnivores.”
The website warns that polar bears attack quickly and without warning, and advises people to be accompanied by a local guide with a firearm when leaving settlements.
It also notes that adult polar bears range in size from 440 to 1,763 pounds and that polar bears may see humans as potential prey. It also says that even cubs weighing under 220 pounds can be very aggressive and dangerous, and that polar bear is incredibly strong.
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