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The chopper circled around the bear. We
quickly gathered our kit , paints, paper and cameras and secured our clothing, as the pilot gave us the thumbs up to get out. The helicopter hovered just feet from the surface of the ice as we jumped onto the snow below . Once on the ground we huddled together as the chopper lifted off, leaving us alone on the pack with the bear. As the sound of the helicopter faded in the frigid air , we stopped and waited. From ground level it was hard to see the bear due to a small ridge of ice blocks that spread out in front of us leading to the open water .
Cautiously we moved forward , intensely aware
of the speed and agility of the predator we were now stalking. Although the bear was a good 80 yards away and hidden behind the ridgeline , we knew that a male polar bear could close that distance
in under five seconds . Adult polar bears weigh in at 800 to
1 , 500 pounds and can run more than 35 miles per hour over short distances . On their hind legs , males stand between 10 and 14 feet tall and can swipe a seal of similar size dead with a single blow . They then pul l the dead seal out of the water with their jaws and can drag it for many hundreds of yards. Polar bears are classified as marine mammals ; they are as at home in the water as they are
on land. They have been sighted swimming 100 Oily's footprint next to fresh female polar miles out in open sea . Unlike their southern bear paw print.
cousins , the brown bear, polar bears do not hibernate in winter. Their huge wedge- shaped frames and hollow conductive fur allow for excellent thermal protection from the coldest temperatures on the planet. Polar bears' fur is white , but their skin is black so the body retains heat perfectly . The ability to withstand the harshness of their environment makes them effective and dangerous hunters . Bears need to generate huge amounts of
energy and fat reserves to survive the Arctic winter . During the winter months , they hunt incessantly and indiscriminately . Seals are their chosen prey, but like the grizzly, polar bears are opportunists by nature . Human flesh makes a good, if not lean, meal for a hungry bear and the polar bear is known to have stalked, killed and eaten people on the ice pack. We continued to move towards the ridge ,
monitoring the ice rubble with our binoculars for signs of sudden movement. We laid down our paper and pots of preheated paint. Water freezes on contact at minus 30°F so we boiled our painting water and stored it in insulated bottles. Once a line or mark has been made on the paper, the paint freezes , leaving a beautiful imprint of ice crystals embedded
"OLLY & SUZI UNTAMED" IF YOU'RE IN LONDON ANYTIME SOON, BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OLLY & SUZI'S LATEST INSTALLATION AT THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM (JULY 20, 2001, TO MAY 6, 2002). CONTACT THE PRESS OFFICE AT 44-207-942-5654, LIZA SAMOS AT GROWBAG (44-207-278-2427) OR OLLY & SUZI (WWW.GROWBAG.COM/UNTAMED.UNTAMED@GROWBAG.COM).
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