Dangerous encounter with a polar bear at Fredheim

Posted on 4. March 2025 by Rolf Stange

Last Monday (24 February) there was an encounter between a polar bear and a group of tourists near Fredheim in Tempelfjord. Details have now emerged in an article in Svalbardposten, making it clear that the incident was dramatic and that it was only by luck that no one was injured and the polar bear was not.

Fredheim two days after the dangerous encounter.

The group had been on a day trip by snowmobile from Longyearbyen and had reached Fredheim and were preparing to stop for a meal. According to one of the French tourists involved, the polar bear suddenly appeared within two or three metres of the group.

The details of what happened next are not public knowledge, but according to witnesses, one woman fell as she ran away, and shortly afterwards the bear had reached her and was standing with one paw on her back. However, it is said that the bear was not aggressive and did not try to attack the woman or anyone else. According to Svalbardposten, Frenchman Antoine Terrones described the polar bear’s behaviour as follows: “I did not perceive it as an attack, it was not as if the bear was hungry and determined. It seemed relaxed, raised its head as if it was sniffing, and walked slowly towards us.”

But then the bear picked up speed and started following the woman, who was soon on the ground with a bear’s paw on her back.

At this point, the guides fired with signal pistols and rifles to scare the bear away, which was successful. One guide was said to have been ready with a rifle to shoot the bear, but before that point came, the animal was driven away by a shot from a signal pistol. The bear then moved away from the group as more shots were fired.

There was another group of tourists nearby and their guides had prepared with signal pistols and rifles.

The whole incident happened in a matter of moments.

As soon as the immediate danger had passed, the group returned to Longyearbyen and informed the Sysselmester. All those directly involved then met with a crisis team to deal with the shock. According to eyewitness Terrones, some of the people involved were quite affected by what had happened, and the discussions with the crisis team were very helpful in dealing with the situation.

Fredheim with polar bear (the photo was taken years ago).

The use of a crisis team after a polar bear encounter where there were no injuries or worse to humans or animals is unusual and already suggested that the incident was dramatic.

Unfortunately, not enough is known about the exact course of events to really understand what happened and how the polar bear was able to get so close to the group unnoticed. According to eyewitnesses, one of the guides had gone out to check the area for polar bears. In general, the behaviour of everyone involved in the incident was praised and described as impeccable, according to others who have received first-hand reports just minutes before the incident. Svalbardposten quotes Frenchman Terrones as saying: “When the bear came, the guides reacted quickly and correctly. I think they saved our lives. I have nothing negative to say about their reaction. They did everything they could in a difficult situation.”

The bear can actually be seen in a photograph taken before it appeared, although it was not discovered until later. When the photo was taken, the bear was on the shore of Tempelfjord, about two or three kilometres northeast of Fredheim.

Commentary

So much for the information actually known in public. Beyond that, it would be interesting to know exactly how many people were there in total, how many guides were there and, most importantly, where exactly the people involved were at the time in question. To be clear, this is not about pointing fingers, it is about trying to understand how a polar bear could get within a few metres of a group of people unnoticed. But without really accurate information, we can only speculate.

Speculation is never good, but not thinking at all is even worse. So here is a bit of speculation.

We know that the bear was on the shore north-east of Fredheim before the incident. We also know that the group in question were preparing their lunch at the Fredheim huts when the bear suddenly appeared next to them.

The Fredheim huts are situated on a terrace a few metres higher than the nearby shore. The slope leading down from the terrace to the shore can only be seen if you are standing close to it; if you stand a little further away, there is a blind spot. It is reasonable to assume that the bear was walking in this area when it approached unnoticed. This is also an obvious assumption as this is exactly the route along the shore that bears often take.

Overview picture of Fredheim and surrounding area with possible positions to illustrate the assumed sequence of events. The bear was approximately at position 1 when it was photographed but not seen (it was only discovered later in the photo). If the bear was following approximately the dotted route, this could explain why it was not seen when – if – the group was at position 3. All positions are assumed, especially position 3 is only assumed based on the existing description and knowledge of the terrain and the usual (but not the concrete) procedures on site.

Assuming that this was the case (which is not a certainty), the important takeaway would be to bear in mind that safety always depends on the areas of terrain that you can not see. It is not enough that there are no bears where you can see them if they were there. The question is what is there where the terrain obscures the view.

Constant vigilance and ‘what-if’ thinking, especially in relation to areas of terrain that cannot be seen, are and will remain key aspects of staying as safe as possible in polar bear country.

The fact that the polar bear was visible in a photograph taken prior to the incident, but was not recognised, is a point that may give pause to those involved.

These points should be taken into consideration, especially if you are one of those responsible for others in the Arctic. But not only that, because it is always the attention of all those present that can, should and must contribute to avoiding dangerous situations.

One final comment: If it were the case – and this is the impression given by the descriptions available – that a woman was lying on the ground, the polar bear was standing right next to her or even more or less on top of her, and a guide was standing a few metres away with a rifle, ready to shoot to kill, but did not do so, for example in order not to endanger people in the confused situation with shots and/or to protect the polar bear, as long as shooting was not absolutely necessary: hats off, you have to have the nerves to act like that!

Do you agree that spitsbergen-svalbard.com is a great resource for any arctic enthusiast?

Everything is available for free, no paywall, no registration, no paid advertising, and all this in spite of constant costs and effort. Please help us to keep it that way, without paywall and paid ads, and support us through Steady!