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Polar bears suspend their “family time” to assist BBC filmmakers

by 9 Comments

It’s all you need, really. There you are, in the middle of a field of ice and snow, filming polar bears and their not-so-subtle courtship ritual, and one of your cameras topples over. In this case, the remotely controlled “Blizzardcam”.

Riding on mini skis and propelled by a couple of fan blade motors, the Blizzardcam took a topple going over a bank of snow. It did not escape the notice of the curious courting polar bears. It’s a cute and interesting interaction, made all the more humorous by David Tennant’s narration.

 

The clip is as intriguing, amusing and well produced as we’ve come to expect from the BBC. Right up until the camera fell over.

While not all interactions between animals and cameras go quite so well, here it seems that the polar bears were quite happy with the voyeuristic BBC crew. They interrupted their “activities” to investigate the strange device.

After giving it a good sniff, one of the polar bears flips the camera upright allowing it to carry on filming.

It’s interesting to see how gently it flips the camera back over. Perhaps it thought it was some sort of animal that was in distress. Or, less likely, maybe they’re just exhibitionists who like to perform for the camera.

Whatever the reason, we wish the happy couple a glorious three weeks.

[via Laughing Squid]

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About John Aldred

John Aldred is based in Scotland and photographs people in the wild and animals in the studio.

You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube and Facebook.

  • I love those bears, It’s extremely heartening that they dying do to climate change and lack of food in some areas.

    • DUCK!

      The Polar bear population has more or less tripled since 1960, there is no problem for the bears, but it seems that the charity workers and global warming aficionados may be starting to realise that with grown-ups in charge of some of the larger countries that their silly little game is up and their careers are maybe under threat.

      Well until the next spurious claim anyway.

      • Louis Bryan

        Everyone can agree that polar bear population viability varies in different areas. However, there is considerable controversy about the degree to which they are endangered and even about their comparative numbers. For example, do the increased numbers being counted now simply reflect an improved ability to count them? Anyone who wishes to know more about this subject is advised to search the Internet for a variety of articles from a variety of sources rather than relying on unsupported blather from folks who sneer at “global warming aficionados”.

        • DUCK!

          It would have been a much longer comment had I pasted URL’s for the many sources of information that I have consulted on this subject.

          A similar piece was published here a couple of weeks ago, slightly different in that the earlier story involved a photographer filming a dying Polar Bear. Notably, he made similar crass comments about him feeling sick… barf barf, but did not think that there might be something he could do.

          The fact is, that just like mice, human beans and giraffes…. polar bears die too. There are many lazy assumptions made on the subject of climate change, and they are all immediately regarded as the gospel truth by governments across the globe… There is tax take at stake!

          The difference with this item is that the film is great fun.

      • TByte

        Since we have no idea what the Polar Bear population was in the 1960’s, any claim that the number has tripled is simply bullshit.

  • I have been watching entirely too many “Lemme Smash” videos lately..

  • Motti Bembaron

    One of the best nature videos I have watched.

  • Drones are just the latest way to annoy wildlife. Watching such a majestic apical predator playing with such crap really makes me sad.

  • davv

    they should get inspiration from robot fighting competitions and devise a way to make their robot upright again

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