A mother and two hungry cubs
15 Sep 26
We spotted them approximately half a mile away through the binoculars. Three small dots in the ice-cold Arctic water. We tracked them for almost an hour. They were swimming at a fair lick and with determination. Polar bears are strong swimmers and can swim for hours, even days. The mum led, with the cubs following closely behind. She wasn’t heading the shortest distance to the shore, rather they were swimming parallel to the northern coast of Svalbard. She held a direct line towards something, and it was most likely a food source. Polar bears can pick up the scent of food miles away.
Eventually our binoculars found her target. A carcass of a large walrus stuck on offshore rocks. High energy walrus blubber is prized food for hungry bears. There was only one possible flaw in her plan. Namely, the presence of a very large male bear already feasting on the carcass. This bear was a bit of a sight. It was clearly a polar bear – but one could be excused for hesitating. Its head was quite brown. It looked like a weird mix between a polar bear and a brown bear … which is not really possible up here. The explanation was simpler. By gorging on the dead walrus, most likely over an extended period (it could be days), its head had been increasingly covered in oils, blood and fatty grease from the carcass. This badass clearly needed a good wash afterwards!
A female bear with two small cubs heading straight for a large male polar bear. Hmmm … it was a sure sign that she and her cubs were rather hungry. Male polar bears can kill cubs. It is quite dangerous for a mother and cubs to get close to males and they usually do everything to avoid such contact. So, the scenario developing at a distance in front of us was intriguing. One could only guess that she was desperate for food for her cubs.
She entered the small rock on the far side with her cubs behind. After a few moments assessing the situation she charged forward towards the male bear, with a roar and her mouth wide open. She did this with such speed, conviction and determination that the male bear backed off. She forced the much larger male 50 meters or so off the carcass. The male roared back noisily but soon retreated. His short-lived fight was probably helped by the fact that he had already had good helpings of walrus.
The mother and cubs descended on the dead walrus and wasted no time eating. The mum kept a constant and wary eye to her left, keeping the male in her eyesight.
After a few minutes he came rushing back, ready to reclaim the carcass. The cubs immediately took cover whilst the mum charged again straight at the male. A jaw-to-jaw standoff ensued, and again, remarkably, the male backed down. The mum and cubs resumed eating walrus.
The male polar bear didn’t retreat far, always hovering as a menacing threat. After several minutes of reprieve, he’d had enough and came charging back. This time, the female bear thought the better of it and she and the cubs retreated to another rock. She most likely assessed that the gamble of another fight wasn’t worth it. After all she had managed to provide some food for her cubs.
After a brief pause away from the carcass, the three of them slipped back into the water and swam away. For now, anyway. She may have returned later or possibly the next day. After all there is a lot of food in a 1200kg walrus carcass for hungry polar bears. Then again, she may deem it too risk to return now that her cubs had fed a little.
We observed this brutal challenge for food in this cold and unforgiving climate at a significant distance in our zodiac, but it was still a mesmerising experience, particularly through the viewfinder with an ultra-long telephoto lens. It felt much closer and quite intense. What an unforgettable moment with these majestic apex predators of the Arctic.