Those eyes… Jad Davenport photo.
Story and photo by Jad Davenport
This photo was taken during the second week of March 2019 by National Geographic photographer Jad Davenport, who was on assignment at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge on the Den Emergence Quest. Jad wrote this description on the day of the encounter:
I was — for one bright and brief shining moment this morning — the alpha male of Nanuk! Had a visit this morning from the pack, who again felt it necessary to show me who was boss by ‘marking’ our snow house. Here’s the guilty party peeking around from the other side of the iglu just after relieving himself. He and his girlfriend approached but recognized I was top dog. They backed off. I was feeling like the Lord of Nanuk until they returned with rest of the pack (six wolves) and surrounded me. They were so close — 10 feet — that my telephoto lens couldn’t focus. I could hear them breathing. I was outnumbered and outwitted and forced to retreat. Best wolf encounter of my life!!!! Thanks Churchill Wild!
You’re welcome Jad! We love your photos, even better when they come with stories!
Jad Davenport is an award-winning National Geographic photographer, author and filmmaker who writes and shoots on assignment for magazines, tourism boards and destination marketing organizations. He also leads photography expeditions in the Arctic, Africa, Europe, Canada and Latin America. to see more of Jad’s work please follow him on Instagram @jaddavenport or visit his website at jaddavenport.com.
A number of Jad’s photos appear in our recently published Churchill Wild 25th Anniversary Book. Copies of Churchill Wild — 25 Years of Adventure on the Hudson Bay Coast are now available online at McNally Robinson Booksellers and at our head office. There are also a limited number of copies available at our polar bear lodges from July through November, during our polar bear walking safaris. For more information please call 1.866.UGO.WILD (846.9453) or email info@churchillwild.com.
Churchill Wild 25th Anniversary Book. Now available online at at McNally Robinson Booksellers.
