Ovsyanikov had a problem. Polar bears were going to be a constant presence and he couldn't just hide in his cabin in dread of them. He worked out an ingenious method of fitting into their society in such a way that they wouldn't make problems for him. He decided to imitate the body language of a really dominant bear. His methods, which he will NOT describe in detail, involve walking with a bad-ass attitude and a big stick. He got the latter idea from the Chukchi natives of Siberia who traditionally fended off the bears with a large walking stick. If pressed by a bear, they would imitate the stabbing motions that a big walrus made in defending himself from attack. Since walruses sometimes kill polar bears (they can weigh up to 2 tons and have an incredibly tough hide, they also have an aggressive temperament), they recognised the motions that the Chukchi made and backed off. Ovsyanikov decided to do the same. He says his methods require a supreme sense of confidence, steely nerves, and a strong understanding of the polar bear communication system. This is why I believe he is reluctant to reveal details of his system, he fears some fool would try it half-heartedly, panic and get munched by the bear. I hope Mr. Ovsyanikov someday plans to give seminars on this, it would be a wonderfully non-violent way to guarantee safety for Arctic explorers.
He interacted with hundreds of bears without any problem over 8 years. He would stride confidently along the beach with his large walking stick, fully expecting any bears in his path to get out of his way, and they would. I have seen many photos showing the bears looking away from him with half-closed eyes, apparently a polar bear way of showing respect. Only on a very few occaisions was his bluff called, and his walrus-like defensive moves stopped the charge. Only once did he have to actually use the stick on a bear, and that was a female with cubs whom he had deliberately and foolishly provoked into attacking. Once she had decided that she had had enough of his harassment, she charged with serious intent. He stopped he only by banging the stick on ground in front of her and poking her hard with it in the nose.
Ovsyanikov became remarkably confident around the bears, but he never let his guard down. He was visited by several polar bears each day, but he would tolerate them as long as they behaved themselves. I have seen photos in his book of bears looking into the windows, peering into the open front door, sleeping on the porch and sneaking into the storeroom in hopes of stealing some goodies. The bears invariably have a shy, sheepish look that shows their deferential attitude towards Ovsyanikov as a supposed dominant alpha male imitation bear. I should point out that Ovsyanikov believes the best way to be around polar bears is the tundra buggies used in Canada, because they cause minimum disturbance for the bears with maximum safety for the visitors. He feels it shows off their natural behavior to best effect and is the simplest way for tourists to see the bears do all their wonderful polar bear things.
