Polar bear pulls seal pup onto ice then backs away. The reason why is extraordinary

Wildlife watchers in Billefjorden, Svalbard, were stunned when a polar bear used a juvenile seal as bait to try to catch its mother too. 

The footage – taken using telephoto lenses in spring 2026 – shows a polar bear’s ingenious hunting strategy. After stalking a juvenile bearded seal, the massive predator struck the pup.

Not content with just one victim, the bear then started backing away from the seal. This strategy is thought to be an attempt to lure the mother – still underwater nearby – onto the ice to try to rescue her baby, giving the polar bear the opportunity to catch mum too. 

Realising the mother seal wasn’t going to risk trying to rescue her little one, the bear returned to its original target and pounced on the juvenile with its forepaws before dragging the pup along the ice to feed on its carcass. 

Seeing one of the world’s most powerful predators mid-hunt is a shocking experience but understanding its fiendish tactics makes it even more exhilarating. “The bear spent real time reading the ice before committing, then used the pup deliberately to try to draw the mother in,” says Michele D’Agostino, co-founder of small group expedition company Secret Atlas. 

“That’s not instinct alone,” D’Agostino adds. “That’s a bear that has learned how bearded seals behave and is working the situation.”

The polar bear had been hunting for several hours and the tourists were in the right place at the right time to watch the astonishing moment unfold.

“It’s the kind of detail you only get from being on the ice long enough, and quietly enough, to witness the entire hunting sequence unfold rather than just the final capture,” says D’Agostino. 

Image and video credit: Secret Atlas. Telephoto lenses were used for this photography, which can make wildlife appear closer than it was. All sightings followed AECO distance guidelines and local regulations. 

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