Curious Polar Bear Becomes Photographer For A Day

Polar bears are rare to see in nature. The species has been going extinct for quite some time now, and the typical polar bear spends 50% of its time hunting food. As rare as it is to see a polar bear, it’s even more extraordinary to see one using professional camera equipment.

Photographer Roie Galitz was recently guiding a wildlife photography workshop in the arctic climate of Svalbard, when he stumbled upon a rather peculiar scene. They had come across a polar bear, and immediately fled their equipment. But it turns out the polar bear wasn’t out to harass the photographers; it was simply fascinated by the photography tools.

According to the Wildlife Society Bulletin, there were only 73 confirmed polar bear attacks between 1870-2014, so a polar bear attack them was highly unlikely. This polar bear curiously began to look through one of the camera lenses, appearing to take a shot, then proceeded to sniff around. After recognizing the equipment wasn’t edible, it went on about its day.

Thankfully, Roie Galitz was able to capture a photo of this amazing moment.