Polars bears steal a seal from hunters

Young polar bears are just hungry enough to be brave. This video is from March 29, 2018, taken about a mile offshore of Utqiagvik.

A group of hunters were hunting for seals at a lead west of the northern town when the bears approached from the south and cautiously walked around the group.

Carl Nayakik lives in Utqiagvik, he recorded the encounter and says after the bears caught wind of the seals, they came back. The two young bears ventured up and stole the seal from the hunters. The mother bear watched from a safe distance away. Carl says they just gave the bears space and stayed calm.

He says "they must have been hungry, because they were pretty skinny."

The spring whale hunts will begin soon with the shore-fast ice breaking away from the coast this week and an approaching storm. It will present challenges to people in the north and northwest coasts over the weekend.