Only a couple of polar bear cubs could make a 400-mile journey through savagely icy conditions look like a fun-filled outing — tumbling though the snow, playing peek-a-boo with the occasional foolhardy seal and, when it finally all gets a bit much, snuggling up with their mother, or hitching a ride on her furry back.
These gorgeous photos come from a new BBC documentary, Snow Bears, due to be aired on Boxing Day.
The programme charts the thrills, spills and occasional terrors of the epic journey made by a polar bear mother and her two-year-old cubs from their birth den in the Svalbard islands, north of Norway, to the pack ice surrounding the North Pole.
The arrival of spring triggered their intrepid expedition. With the melting of the ice, the seals — juicy prey for polar bears — disappeared and the bears had no choice but to head north in search of colder weather, ice and much-needed sustenance.
These gorgeous photos come from a new BBC documentary, Snow Bears, due to be aired on Boxing Day
Suddenly the cosy protection of their den — a snowy haven from the cold, wind and predators — was gone. But luckily they are well designed for Arctic conditions: two coats of fur and a thick layer of blubber to insulate them from the cold and keep their temperature at an even 37c (98.6f).
On the way, their mother teaches them essential survival and hunting skills.
Starting with how to walk — and run — on ice; a gawky, graceless and comically clumsy business, even for a bear cub boasting specially adapted feet with hairy, bumpy soles to give extra traction.
This series of pictures show the adorable bear cub interacting with a seal poking his head through the ice
The programme charts the journey made by a polar bear mother and her two cubs from their birth den in the Svalbard islands, north of Norway, to the pack ice surrounding the North Pole
Somehow, the bears make the grueling 400-mile journey through savage icy conditions look easy. In this picture the snow cub falls over, almost as if he found the seal hilarious
Patiently, she shows them how to keep their heads low and blend with the snow drifts when stalking their prey. And how to sit still for hours, sniffing out a seal’s breathing hole, or aglu, from one mile away and then, when the time is right, cut off their dinner from its escape hole back through the ice.
But, most important, she teaches them vigilance, even when romping about like furry fools.
Because although one day they’ll grow into the world’s largest land predators, weighing up to 600kg and measuring 10ft tall, as tender cubs they have their own predators — arctic foxes and adult male polar bears.
This trio’s biggest worry is a giant male bear who stalks them on and off for the entire journey. He doesn’t want to eat them, though. Just to remove them from the scene so he can have his wicked way with their mother who is almost ready to breed again.
This trio’s biggest worry is a giant male bear who stalks them on and off for the entire journey
They can sense the danger and, every time he comes near, bound off into the snow.
But their protective mother is having none of it, squaring up to the male on her muscular hind legs, hoisting her offspring on to her back, and eventually leading them to safety up a steep slope from where they shove snow down on top of the male to make him tumble and fall.
Polar bears are listed as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.
The expected melting of large ice masses could mean limited access to seals and affect reproduction and nutrition, though other experts say the bears are thriving.
But while their long-term future is uncertain, this trio aren’t worrying about the future — they’re just making the most of the present and turning an arduous 400-mile excursion into a fun-packed romp.
Snow Bears will air on Boxing Day at 6.30pm on BBC1.
Polar bears are listed as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List
Although one day they’ll grow into the world’s largest land predators, weighing up to 600kg and measuring 10ft tall, as tender cubs they have their own predators — arctic foxes and adult male polar bears