Portrait of Nikita Ovsyanikov, one of the most pre-eminent researchers on polar bears, looking out over the sea ice north of Svalbard. Nikita has studied polar bears on Wrangel Island (north of Siberia) and studied some 2,000 encounters between humans and polar bears to improve understanding of their habits and psychology. He is a strong voice against hunting and refuses to take a rifle with him, although this is mandatory on Svalbard. Instead, he uses a stick and a 'hissing technique'.