Paragliders narrowly avoid landing in polar bear enclosure at Staffordshire wildlife park
Peak Wildlife Park staff rushed to secure the compound
A pair of wayward paragliders had a lucky escape after landing just inches from two male polar bears.
Staff at Peak Wildlife Park in Staffordshire noticed two motorised gliders heading directly towards the enclosure containing Nanook and Nori on Tuesday lunchtime.
Rushing towards the compound armed with non-lethal firearms in case the worst happened, keepers were relieved to see the gliders had managed to divert their landing just to the right side of the bears' border, with dramatic CCTV footage showing how close they were to the animals.
Park director James Butler told the Press Association: "The animal keepers noticed the motorised paragliders and initially assumed they were going to land in one of the fields behind the park.
"After a few minutes, it became clear they were descending lower and lower, and at that point a radio call was made.
"They then cut their engines and appeared almost certain to land in the field containing the bears. At the last moment, however, they diverted their course, presumably after spotting the two very large polar bears directly beneath them.
"Polar bears are among the world's most dangerous predators and had the paragliders landed there, the outcome could have been tragic, rather than fairly comic."
The four-year-old polar bears arrived at the park in August 2023 after their original home at a park in Sweden was closed.