The polar bears of Svalbard/Spitsbergen

In 2005, we wanted to circumnavigate Spitsbergen with the expedition ship «Polar Pioneer». But it was not at all certain that we would succeed. The ice reached right up to the north coast of the island. Today, this is no longer a question: in summer, the way around Spitsbergen is always clear. What does this mean for the polar bears? The ground melts away from under their paws and with it their hunting grounds on the pack ice. At that time, we had the impression that the polar bear was extremely curious and would have loved to capture our ship. Nowadays, he wouldn’t come anywhere near our ship – but he would be hungry enough to want to plunder the galley…