The Sound of Polar Bear Footsteps
I never imagined that my journey would lead me to such an extraordinary and surreal encounter with nature. It was a day that would etch itself into my memory forever. Picture this: 68 polar bears in one place, feasting on a whale carcass.
To put that in perspective, Le Commandant Charcot’s Captain, Patrick Marchesseau, has never experienced anything like this. And the two local Inuit guides onboard have only ever seen six polar bears at any place at any one time. I know my boss from Wild Earth Travel, Aaron Russ, is totally envious… and I think David Attenborough would be too.
We had had an eventful day as it was… stepping on ice and testing out snowshoes in the gorgeous polar sunshine, as well as assisting the Danish Navy with medical drills with their helicopter (and freeing them from the ice… but that’s another story in itself). I had just had an outdoor spa in the ship’s amazing Blue Lagoon and was enjoying a talk on Arctic Ice when the captain announced we had spotted a polar bear… no hang on, there’s a few more than one.
As we approached closer, the expedition team pointed out we have in fact come across a whale carcass with a total of 68 polar bears taking advantage of this feast.
The first bears we spotted were a mum and her three cubs. I learnt later in a debrief from the expedition team, this in itself is a rarity, as in the 30 plus years’ experience in the expedition industry, triplets had only been once or twice.
Whilst keeping a respectful distance, and certain not to disturb the bears, the captain reassured us we could relax and enjoy this moment for as long as needed. We were parking up at the ‘polar bear zoo’ and spending the night. Whilst not wanting to leave the outside wrap around deck on level 5, or the warmth of the open bridge, we ate dinner (with our jackets and cameras at the ready) and as the night went on darkness did not set in and many guests and crew onboard redefined an “all-nighter”. I reluctantly went to bed... only to check several times through that the night that there were still indeed a dozen polar bears just outside my port side cabin.
Quick to rise, there was a somewhat democratic vote in the theatre with the expedition team as to whether we stayed observing this once in a lifetime sighting. I’m sure the captain heard the unanimous clapping and cheering from all the guests on board and here we are… watching this unprecedented sight.
One of the Expedition Guides on board Lisa LaPointe is a biologist, international expedition leader and photographer specialising in wildlife and conservation. Over the last decade her work has taken her to all seven continents, with a particular emphasis on the polar regions where she has spent multiple seasons as a lecturer and guide. Lisa described this experience to me as “Something possibly never seen before, and something that cannot be overstated.” As most ships cannot access deep into the pack ice there’s a lot we haven’t seen until Ponant’s Le Commandant Charcot.
I know already I can come back and share my incredible experience exploring Greenland’s Northeast Unexplored Sea Ice onboard Le Commandant Charcot with Wild Earth Travel’s travel partners and clients, however I also now think I could possibly be a polar bear expert. You always have to expect the unexpected with expedition travel, but never in my life did I think I’d hear the sound of polar bear footsteps.
Sarah Porter
Wild Earth Travel
Onboard Ponant’s Le Commandant Charcot
Saturday 15 June 2024
