A MAN from Dorset has revealed how he fought off a polar bear using flares after coming face-to-face with the powerful creature.
Matt Hardy was in Greenland at the time working as a freelance cameraman for Coldhouse Collective.
The 23-year-old woke up to banging noises at about 5am and found a window broken in the building he was staying in.
At this point Matt snapped into action and went to investigate and brought along with him a flare.
As he stuck his head out of the window, Matt found the source of the noise.
He said: "Just before I poked my head out, I was a foot from the window, the bear got on its hind legs and poked its head through the window."
In a snap reaction, Matt used the flare he was carrying and put it through the window and is claimed to have said, 'Get out of here you big white hairy b******.'
He said: "It was all just instinct. I didn't have any time to think about it whilst it was going on."
His colleague, Phil, came to assist him and used a gun to fire a shot over the polar bear's head.
Matt, from Corfe Mullen, said: "It seemed to do the trick. The bear pulled its head back out of the window and he started heading away."
This wasn't the end of the drama, however. Another of Matt's colleagues, Debs, spotted another polar bear nearby.
Matt said: "We hadn't noticed there was another (polar bear) just to to the left of the hut in front of us.
"I didn't believe it."
Matt and his colleagues used another flare to scare off the bear.
He said: "You never ever get two male bears. They are not pack animals. They're always alone. We were in disbelief there was a second one."
In hindsight, Matt said he didn't believe the bears were trying to eat them.
He said: "They weren't being aggressive. They weren't roaring. They were just being curious."
Nevertheless, Matt said that wasn't what was going through his mind at the time, assuming the bear was going to attack.
"They are huge and powerful creatures. I didn't expect them to be that big."
Matt said the group were aware bears were around but the encounter still took them by surprise.
He said: "We just didn't think we would be that up close and personal with them."
Those inside the ht took this picture of the polar bear
And these footprints. . .
Matt Hardy
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