In Search of Isbjørn.

[Richprins]

Aha! But what about the monster Kodiak island Grizzlies!



(Sorry, was posting while you were posting!)

Just scraping the gooseflesh off now!

[Dewi]

Those sizes include the monster Kodiaks as well RP. My goosebumps have still not gone since this encounter.

Glad you liked him Flutts.

[nan]

magnificent even with a smile
I think is the most dangerous animal

[Jillinflorida]

You can keep posting photos of him - stunning. And YES he DID wink at you! -O Sizes don't mean anything to me until I convert to yankeedoodle ft and inches. However know they're big. Sigh - well at least your trip has taken my mind off having to wait another 7 months 1 day till I get back to SA.

[Lisbeth]

He is a real special treat They look so nice and cuddly..........until you see them in action

[PRWIN]

Dewi

great shots

[Dewi]

Thank you Flutterby, Richprins, Nan, Jillinflorida, Lisbeth & PRWIN.

[Dewi]

The big fella carried on ambling around, but was losing interest in the ship and slowly wandered away.



I loved the way he curled his massive paws under as he took each step.





The ease in which he travelled across the ice was apparent. Those massive paws spreading the weight evenly.





And no TT is complete without the obligatory bumshot.



Of all the photos I took of him, this is probably my favourite as I return to it time and again.



As he wandered away, I thanked him for giving us such a marvellous experience and realised at that moment how lucky we had been to witness this at such close quarters.



As he moved off, he had one last thing to show us as he leapt from floe to floe. For such a big animal, he was incredibly agile.



What a sighting. I'm just as excited now as I look at the photos as when we were seeing him first hand. To be any closer, the Bear would have to be trying to get onto the ship............

Nah, that would never happen..........would it?

The Captain decided to tie up alongside a large floe for the night and switched the engines off to give everyone a sense of what it would be like to drift along with the ice.



It was at this point that another large blob was seen on the ice.

[Lisbeth]

The big male was certainly a special experience

That other big male.... is it you? Doesn't look like you, but maybe with the hat and the glasses... -O

Is the population in Svalbard Sami or Norwegian or both? Are there any Innuits? I know that there is a small group with Russian origins.

[Dewi]

Thanks Lis.

That's me I'm afraid.

There has never been an indigenous population on Svalbard, which is suprising as it is so rich in wildlife. To date, no archealogical evidence has been found of any previous inhabitants. The main population, centered in Longyearbyen, is Norwegian, but as you mentioned, there is a Russian settlement at Barentsburg of around 500 people, either Russian or Ukrainian. It was formerly a Dutch mining town.

Svalbard has a population of around 2,800. There are more Bears than people there!