The polar bear on Lille Ekkerøy – Troms and Finnmark

– Suddenly we heard that it was raining on Lille Ekkerøy. Day Agnar Dahl remembers well the summer day 71 years ago. He had just turned seven. All his life he has lived in Krampenes, a small settlement along the Varangerfjord where old and new houses stand next to each other. On a clear day you can see all the way to Russia. A couple of kilometers out into the fjord is Lille Ekkerøy. In 1953, only one family lived on the island: mother Signe Bogdanoff and sons Ingvald and Aksel. Dahl remembers that it was not unusual to hear gunshots from the island. But when, on 14 July 1953, he heard a crash and saw that a rowing boat was coming ashore, he and the other children in the village ran down to the spring. In the boat was something large and white. Something similar has also happened in recent times. In September, a young polar bear went ashore in Iceland. Day Agnar Dahl remembers well the day over 70 years ago. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news A short time before, the Bogdanoff brothers had rowed close to Lille Ekkerøy to see the salmon roe. Ingvald commented that he saw the family’s sheep down in the spring. His brother Aksel grinned and remarked that he couldn’t possibly have such big sheep. – I lifted the sixpence, then I saw, no, it’s not my sheep color. My sheep are not so yellow-haired, Ingvald told news in 1986. The brothers rowed towards the island to find out what it was. The animal came roaring at them. – It’s a polar bear, without a doubt, said Ingvald. The brothers rowed as fast as they could to the part of the island where the family’s house stood overlooking land. Aksel Bogdanoff jumped ashore to retrieve the rifle. The entire interview can be heard at the bottom of the issue. The machine gun But it was not the family’s Krag-Jørgensen that he returned with. He couldn’t find the cartridges. They had been put in the kitchen table drawer. – He took the MG we had at home. A machine gun with 50 rounds. Ingvald Bogdanoff remembered that his brother was scared and nervous. He asked Aksel to stay behind him. – I said it’s not dangerous. I now had a tool with which I could dismember the animal. The brothers began walking across the slightly hilly island in the Varangerfjord. Eventually they caught sight of the unwanted guest. Over 200 kilos with white fur and sharp teeth stood only 70 meters away. Ingvald lifted the machine gun. – Then I shot it in the heart to paralyze the animal. The bear collapsed, and the brothers walked cautiously towards it. Although the polar bear was injured, it got back up when they were a few meters away from each other. The polar bear counterattacked. The country around – It was a huge sensation in all the media at the time, says local historian Einar Niemi about the incident. The news went around the country. Most of the media agreed that the young polar bear, which turned out to be about two years old, must have come to the Varangerfjord on an ice floe. Several, including Ingvald Bogdanoff, are said to have seen larger ice floes in the fjord only weeks before the polar bear went ashore. – In the summer of 1953, it was known to the fishermen that the ice had come very close to the coast of Finnmark, due to special climatic conditions, says Niemi. Local historian Einar Niemi on Lille Ekkerøy, near where the house of the Bogdanoff family stood, where Aksel picked up the machine gun. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news Two icebergs entered the fjord, and fishermen are said to have rowed to one and climbed on it. – The strange thing is that the polar bear has not been spotted earlier by boats traveling along the coast, wrote Finnmarksposten in 1953. Niemi thinks it is logical that the polar bear came with one of these icebergs. The theory is also supported by polar bear researcher Magnus Andersen. – I think quite clearly that there is an explanation for how a bear appeared on the coast. With the help of weather and wind, sea ice can drift hundreds of nautical miles. According to ship observations in July 1953, the ice edge that year was northeast of Bjørnøya, just 400 kilometers north of the mainland. – We know that the first weekend in July 1953 had strong northerly winds, so it is possible that these pushed an iceberg far enough south to come close to the coast of Finnmark with a polar bear on board, says William Copeland at the Ice Service. Won’t happen today In recent times there have been several rumors that polar bears have been seen on the mainland. In 2006, an alarm was raised about a possible polar bear in Berlevåg. But it was never confirmed. In contrast, white reindeer were found in the area. However, polar bear researcher Magnus Andersen is sure of one thing. A polar bear will not come to the Varangerfjord on an ice floe today. – The distribution of sea ice is completely different. In July, the ice edge is far, far north of Svalbard. We are lucky if the ice extends down to the south side of Spitsbergen in winter. In summer, the ice edge is over 1,000 kilometers away from Norway’s northernmost mainland point, and over 1,200 kilometers away from the Varangerfjord. Polar bear researcher Magnus Andersen at the Polar Institute is clear that a polar bear will not be able to reach the Varangerfjord on an ice floe today. Photo: Simen Wingstad / news Andersen also points out that the ice today is completely different from before. Just 20–30 years ago, it was common to have ice that had survived several summers, so-called multi-year ice. – It is almost an unknown term today. It almost doesn’t exist anymore. All the ice melts and refreezes every winter. The polar bear researcher believes that it is completely unthinkable that history will repeat itself today, and that it is a good example of the major changes polar bears have experienced in the last 50 years. – This is the story of climate change. Today, it would be a total sensation if a polar bear landed in Finnmark, says Andersen. Counterattack When the injured polar bear counterattacked the Bogdanoff brothers on Lille Ekkerøy, there was not much Ingvald could do. – Then I shot him in the mouth. The bear was hit by four shots from the machine gun. Three in the heart and one in the forehead. – Then it was finished. I took the knife and drew the blood. There was a lot of blood in it. On the mainland, the children, including a young Dag Agnar Dahl, stood and watched the boat come across the water with the big white animal. They ran to their parents to tell them what they had seen. – They said “stop and wait”. An adult came over, who saw that they weren’t kidding. – They have got polar bears. Dag Agnar Dahl remembers that as a seven-year-old he ran down the rock in Krampenes to see the large Nordland boat on its way from Lille Ekkerøy to Krampenes. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news – Talking almost no more about it In the spring at Krampenes, Dag Agnar Dahl shows the area where the polar bear was taken ashore. There it lay, between the forest, the sea and the fish pond. – Isn’t it strange to think that it has been 71 years since a polar bear lay here? – No, it wasn’t that strange. Eventually you got used to it. You almost don’t talk about it anymore. Dahl still remembers that lots of people came to see the polar bear, that there was a bit of an uproar. – Then came the mother of the two who came over with the boat. She sat on the polar bear, she sat there and chatted and thought that this was very wonderful. Dahl shows where the polar bear was taken ashore. He remembers that many people came to see the polar bear. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news After the polar bear was brought ashore, the butcher in Vadsø was contacted. At first he thought it was a joke. – We slaughtered the animal in the usual way. Skinned it and hung it up under the roof, said butcher Torleif Mathisen to news. According to several sources, the skin was then sent to Tromsø. According to what news has found out, the leather is still in the Bogdanoff family. – You, Bogdanoff, this is a fantastic story, are you absolutely sure that what you have told is true? asked news in 1986. – Yes, I have told the truth, answered Ingvald Bogdanoff. Listen to the full interview from 1986 here: Signe Bogdanoff just as easily sat on the polar bear after her sons had taken it ashore at Krampenes. Photo: Finnmark County Library



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