Polar bears aren’t shy because they’re deadly predators that have been forced to expand outside of their shrinking natural habitat to find food. That has brought them into contact with people and their pets, such as the occasion in this video. While polar bear attacks are rare, they are incredibly violent and capable of causing fatalities.

A Daring Guard Dog Bites a Polar Bear

The video beings in the waning hours of daylight. The polar bear approaches an unseen camp, walking along in the snow. Several dogs bark offscreen as the bear stomps forward. Eventually, the polar bear stops, rears up slightly onto its hind legs, and then bounds forward into the waiting maw of a large dog. The dog is tethered by a rope, but the polar bear gets just close enough to allow the fight to turn physical. The polar bear may be big, but the guard dog also knows that it is in danger. So, it tries to deter the polar bear by attacking it right away. The dog shoots in, backs away, and then lunges forward to bite. The dog’s bite lands directly on the polar bear’s mouth! The guard dog bites the polar bear’s face, bringing it to the ground in pain. The dog is too smart to sit still, though. The courageous animal shakes and tears at the bear’s snout and mouth, apparently causing enough damage to make the polar bear back off for a moment. The polar bear stops to think about its course of action for a moment, and the video replays the incident before cutting to a different angle. The dog barks at the polar bear some more, and the video cut again to a polar bear in the daylight. The next scene features the polar bear walking right up to the windows of the station the dogs were guarding. The guard dogs are barking in the background, still on their chains. Meanwhile, the polar bear takes interest in a human leaning out its window to get a close-up picture of the bear. To be certain, this is not something that any human should do. The polar bear could have tipped the person out of the window and harmed them. Instead, it was just curious. Even the flash of the camera was enough to scare the polar bear for a moment. The video ends as a person takes a picture of the bear. Although the tough guard dog bit the polar bear in the face and made it retreat, the polar bear could easily come back and overwhelm the smaller creature. After all, it’s on a rope, so it can’t run away from the fearsome bear forever.  

Up Next: More Daring Bear Interactions

Watch the World’s Bravest Dog Chase Away a Polar BearWatch a Bear Being Swept Over a Waterfall In YellowstoneWatch a Wolf Chase a Bear in Completely Normal Day in Alaska