makhorov
Many people ask: polar bears are solitary animals, so how did they all gather in such a crowd? Here’s my answer: polar bears do prefer to live alone, but when the sea ice is scarce — either not yet formed or already melted — they come ashore in search of food, for example, around walrus haul-outs or seabird colonies. Polar bears aren’t as aggressive toward each other as brown bears can be. That’s why they can even huddle together in abandoned cabins, using them as shelter. But once the ice forms again, they’ll each go their separate ways, hunting on their own. For instance, a few years ago a whale carcass washed ashore on Wrangel Island — it attracted more than 200 polar bears. Everyone ate, no one bothered anyone 😁
Another common question is about AI. No, I don’t use AI in my travel videos. I feel that would be dishonest. These shots are filmed with a drone. I also try not to disturb the animals too much. If I see that a bear gets scared of the drone, I don’t chase it — I pull the drone back and don’t approach again. But that happens rarely, because I always fly up to the animals very slowly, giving them time to get used to the strange visitor. Most often, the bears themselves get curious and follow the drone. So in that previous reel, not a single bear was harmed. They’re much more frightened by ships and boats, the noise and smell of gasoline engines, or human voices. A drone, to them, is just an odd buzzing bird.
Overall, for some people, filming wildlife with a drone is like a red rag to a bull — they immediately see it as harmful to the animals. I agree, it can be, if in unskilled hands. But people, through their own actions, directly or indirectly cause much more harm even without drones — sometimes just by being there. I always film animals in the presence of reserve or national park staff. Nobody would ever let me “go rogue” out there 😁
