Boy!! that was quite a swim!! Satellite tracking has shown a polar bear swimming at least 46 miles in just one day, the first conclusive proof that the bears can cover such distances in the water. The collared bear entered the water from the east side of the Norwegian Arctic island of Spitsbergen early July 20, swam northeast and reemerged on Edgeoya island July 21, the Norwegian Polar Institute reported Friday. Dubbed "Skadi" after a Norse goddess of snow, she probably swam more like 62 miles, as she almost certainly did not swim in a precise line. UPDATE/RELATED STORY: Three Polish researchers stranded on a remote Arctic island were rescued by helicopter with polar bears about 20 yards from reaching them. This hairsbreadth escape took place on August 17, in Norway's archipelago, about 600 miles from the North Pole. The researchers were cold and wet, had no equipment or weapons and were surrounded by hungry polar bears. The three men from the Polish research ship Horyzont had set out in a small inflatable boat to pick up equipment on one of the islands. The boat capsized and they lost all their equipment and weapons. They swam and clambered over chunks of floating ice to get to the island of Edgeoya. They stayed there at the edge of a tiny bay between two glaciers, for 15 hours before the helicopter arrived. They managed to start a fire, to keep warm and keep the polar bears away, using the spark plugs from their capsized craft's outboard motor to get the fire going. The island has some dried grass and scrubby plants. At least three polar bears looking for a meal were within about 20 yards of the men when the helicopter picked them up.
No comments:
Post a Comment