Polar Bear Turns Pup into Decoy to Trick Bearded Seal’s Mother

In Billefjorden, Svalbard, footage captured in spring 2026 shows a polar bear using a juvenile bearded seal as a decoy to draw the mother onto the ice. The bear then targeted the pup, illustrating a calculated hunting tactic that appears to be learned rather than purely instinctive. The sequence, observed by tourists and filmed by Secret Atlas, highlights the predator’s ability to read ice conditions and seal behavior as part of an advanced predatory strategy.