{"id":111205,"date":"2025-10-31T20:04:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T20:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/111205\/"},"modified":"2025-10-31T20:04:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T20:04:08","slug":"polar-bears-international-publishes-drone-guidance-for-photographers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/111205\/","title":{"rendered":"Polar Bears International Publishes Drone Guidance for Photographers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Two<\/a>BJ Kirschhoffer \/ Polar Bears International <\/p>\n

Polar Bears International has published guidelines for photographers and filmmakers using drones to capture wildlife in the Arctic. <\/p>\n

Senior Manager of Communications Erinn McNicol tells PetaPixel that \u201cas the social media world has become noisier,\u201d there have been some instances of photographers pushing boundaries \u201ca little too far\u201d in the pursuit of getting a viral shot. <\/p>\n

\u201cPolar Bears International has long supported responsible tourism to view polar bears and visit the Arctic,\u201d McNicol says. <\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing polar bears in the wild and learning about where they live and the challenges they face can inspire people. But we also have to make sure the bears aren\u2019t disturbed in a biologically meaningful way, and that people and bears remain safe.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>Erinn Hermsen \/ Polar Bears International <\/p>\n

Raymond Friesen, a Polar Bears International research support specialist, says that after speaking to photographers and researchers, his team deemed that guidelines should be issued since there previously were none. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important not to desensitize polar bears to drones,\u201d says Friesen. \u201cWe still don\u2019t fully understand how drones might affect bears, nor how they could be used as effective deterrents in the future. Establishing safe and responsible practices now will help protect both bears and people while keeping future opportunities open.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>Madison Stevens \/ Polar Bears International <\/p>\n

Polar Bears International says it is concerned about any drone usage that might cause a bear to spend energy unnecessarily or put them in a risky situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cRunning away is an obvious sign, but we also look at more subtle signs of stress, like vocalizing or yawning,\u201d says McNicol. \u201cIt\u2019s also important to avoid bears that are vulnerable, for example, nursing, feeding, skinny, or accompanied by young cubs.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cDrone operators, pro or amateur, share the responsibility to keep wildlife safe,\u201d adds Friesen. \u201cPros especially. If you\u2019re skilled or well-known, your images set the tone for what\u2019s seen as acceptable.\u201d <\/p>\n

Friesen says that great shots should never come at the expense of the animal. \u201cRespect comes first, always,\u201d he adds. <\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>Erinn Hermsen \/ Polar Bears International<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not just the safety of the polar bears; being in their territory is a risk to humans, too. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re operating on the ground, it\u2019s important to have at least two people with you,\u201d says Friesen. \u201cOne to watch the bear for signs of disturbance, and someone with deterrent tools who\u2019s scanning the area for other bears and wildlife.\u201d <\/p>\n

Polar Bear International stresses that all drone operators should know and follow the law and regulations when they plan to film, which includes checking with local air traffic controllers in parts of the Arctic, as there are frequently low-flying aircraft and protected area restrictions. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re hoping that these easy-to-use guidelines will encourage ethical behaviors and reduce disturbance not just to the bears, but to other wildlife and other people who have come to enjoy this unique place,\u201d adds McNicol. <\/p>\n

You can find the full guidelines on the Polar Bears International site.<\/a> For more reading on general ethical wildlife photogrpahy, check out PetaPixel\u2019s guide<\/a> published earlier this week. <\/p>\n

Update 10\/31: An earlier version of this article misspelled Friesen as \u2018Frisen\u2019. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BJ Kirschhoffer \/ Polar Bears International Polar Bears International has published guidelines for photographers and filmmakers using drones…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":111206,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[79596,13473,36031,25094,25965,36996,23801,2061,111,139,69,62705,46423,79597,6302,147,406],"class_list":{"0":"post-111205","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-100yearsofleica","9":"tag-arctic","10":"tag-bears","11":"tag-drone","12":"tag-ethics","13":"tag-guidance","14":"tag-guidelines","15":"tag-nature","16":"tag-new-zealand","17":"tag-newzealand","18":"tag-nz","19":"tag-polar-bears","20":"tag-polarbears","21":"tag-polarbearsinternational","22":"tag-safety","23":"tag-science","24":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111205"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111205\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}