Man's wild encounter 'on the way home' stuns the internet
The video of the incredible encounter in northwest Canada has now amassed more than 3.4 million views.
A man has shared an incredible brush with nature while heading home to his village in remote northwest Canada.
On his boat around midnight on Saturday, he and a few others were heading back to Akulivik, a small Inuit community only accessible by boat or small plane, as the late-evening light was fading.
The group then noticed a large polar bear swimming in the channel. In an attempt to "warn" the bear they were passing and not frighten it, one of those on board made a few blowing sounds, which got the polar bear's attention.
Making eye contact, the bear then changed direction, swimming away from the boat.
"Very blessed to have been given a beautiful sight," the man said in his TikTok on Saturday, which has now garnered more than 3.4 million views.
Social media users react to video
Many were amazed by the man's encounter, calling the bear "cute but so deadly". Polar bears are the largest living carnivore on the planet. "What a beautiful thing to see and to see so close!" one person said. "I hope he got to where he was going," another said.
Some though were quick to assume the bear was struggling because "all the ice was gone", however the TikToker made an update video to fact-check them, saying the ice simply melted as it does every year because it's summer.
He also mentioned polar bears can swim well for many kilometres, being spotted in waters 100km offshore, according to National Geographic.
"They can comfortably swim at around 10km/h using their slightly webbed, 30cm wide paws like paddles in the water," it reads on their website, with the longest recorded swimming distance being 687km.
Polar bear population considered 'vulnerable'
While polar bears can swim for long distances, global warming does make the sea ice melt earlier and form later each year, meaning they have less ground to stand on and therefore wind up with less to eat.
According to the World Wildlife Federation, its estimated there will be 30 per cent less polar bears by 2050.
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