This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive.

Polar Bear Gnaws At Research Cable In The Beaufort Sea

BEAR in mind, cables are not for eating.

Three polar bears nearly ruined an Arctic research expedition when one of them gnawed on a very, very expensive cable earlier this month.

A video posted to YouTube on Tuesday shows a mother and her two cubs floating in the Beaufort Sea. One of them starts biting at a cable used in a sampling system, as esearchers aboard the CCGS Amundsen icebreaker try to shoo them away.

Eventually, the bear seems to lose interest, and all three slowly drift away as the video cuts out.

And that's a good thing — the equipment was valued at $200,000, CBC News reported.

The icebreaker is being used as part of a research mission studying the effects of climate change on Arctic waters, according to Global News.

University of Victoria (UVic) oceanographer Jay Cullen told the outlet he was concerned thatreceding sea ice in the north is what led the mother bear and her cubs to swim so far away from land.

The footage was taken on Sept. 16 by Kathryn Purdon, a UVic student aboard the ship.

Also On HuffPost:

Munich Zoo Presents Twin Polar Bear Cubs

New Polar Bear Twins In Action

Close
This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.