Day 17 - Ozone look-alikes at last

We have very exciting news to report. Today we have been out kiting on the sea ice. We had left our ski-doos nearby and could see polar bear tracks all around us. David pulled out his mini binoculars (we have no idea how he saw it; David the Giant has superhuman vision too) and spotted, 3km away, a big male bear. We moved a bit closer and realised that it wasn’t only the male we could see, but just in front of him was the female and her cub as well. We couldn’t believe our luck.

The male was chasing them and fighting with the mother, as he was trying to eat the cub. Apparently the male often tries to kill the cubs, as the mother is then willing to mate again afterwards. Involved in their own drama, they were completely uninterested in us and we stood still and watched in wonder, our little hearts beating very fast, as first the mother and her cub ran straight past us, hotly pursued by the father. It was incredible to witness a special moment like that so close up; we feel very privileged. You could not have seen three happier people.