Tuesday, October 31, 2006

The moment a polar bear fancied a BBC film crew for lunch

Even when it's your job to film them, half a ton of ravenous polar bear peering through your window can be an unwelcome sight.

Especially when all that's between you and becoming the animal's dish of the day are the walls of an old wooden shack in one of the world's most remote spots.

Polar bear

BBC cameraman Doug Allan and field assistant Jason Roberts, were confronted by this specimen while enjoying a game of chess in their 16ft by 16ft cabin during a break in filming.

It was only after Mr Allan and Mr Roberts had three times tried to scare him off by setting off flares that their uninvited dinner guest finally lumbered away to see what was on the menu elsewhere.

The chilling encounter happened while the pair were filming in temperatures of minus 30C in Kong Karls Land, an archipelago in the Norwegian Arctic which had not been visited by humans for 25 years before their arrival for a five week shoot.

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