One World One Ocean
While on location in Churchill, Canada, the MacGillivray Freeman team had the chance to get up close with these beautiful bears while …
While on location in Churchill, Canada, the MacGillivray Freeman team had the chance to get up close with these beautiful bears while aboard tundra buggies. Although known for being aggressive hunters, unafraid of humans, adult polar bears can be playful too. Polar Bears have a very keen sense of smell that helps them survive in the Arctic,but their vision and hearing, researchers think, is worse than ours.
Our film crew got to see first-hand what life is like for polar bears while they were filming To the Arctic. We had a chance to ask members of our crew – Director of Photography Brad Ohlund, Camera Assistant Rob Walker, Director Greg MacGillivray, and Screenwriter Steve Judson – about what they saw during the film expedition. Here are some of their observations from the Arctic.
MFF: Polar bears are widely considered to be unafraid of people – did you find this true?
Brad: Mostly not true, unless you’re off the ground. Some are more curious than others, but in general the bears would run from us. In Churchill the bears are used to seeing humans and will come close to the tundra buggies and stand up against them.
Rob: Out in the wild they are afraid of humans, but in Churchill they are not. There are so many tundra buggies they come right up to them. Cubs are still afraid even in Churchill.
Greg/Steve (which one?): More than any other animal I’ve been close to, including sharks, the polar bear is an eating machine – and today, they’re extra hungry. Most will move away from boats, but will attack single humans without hesitation.
MFF: What was the most surprising thing you noticed when you saw the mother bear?
Brad: How massive and dangerous the larger males are.
Rob: How cute and inquisitive they were, and the size of them.
Greg/Steve: They are beautiful animals who care deeply for their cubs – just like human mothers. They will fight to the death to protect their offspring.
