Two motorised paragliders experienced a heart-stopping moment when they came perilously close to landing inside a polar bear enclosure at a popular wildlife park.
A Terrifying Descent Over Predators
Staff at Peak Wildlife Park in Staffordshire watched in alarm on Tuesday 16 December as the two gliders began descending towards the home of polar bears Nanook and Nori. The keepers, initially thinking the aircraft were heading for a field behind the park, quickly realised the danger when the paragliders continued to lose altitude.
Armed with non-lethal firearms, the team rushed towards the compound, preparing for a potential tragedy. Dramatic CCTV footage later revealed just how close the incident came to disaster.
A Last-Minute Diversion Averts Tragedy
According to park director James Butler, the paragliders cut their engines and seemed certain to land in the bears' field. At the very last moment, however, they swerved away. It is presumed the pilots finally spotted the two massive predators directly below them.
"Polar bears are among the world’s most dangerous predators," Butler stated. "Had the paragliders landed there, the outcome could have been tragic, rather than fairly comic." The gliders managed to touch down safely on the correct side of the security boundary.
The Park's Polar Bear Residents
The four-year-old bears, Nanook and Nori, have been residents at the Staffordshire park since August 2023. They were relocated after their original home at a park in Sweden closed down. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the inherent risks when human activity intersects with wildlife habitats, even in controlled environments.
While the event ended without injury to either people or animals, park officials emphasised the serious potential consequences of such a lapse in safety awareness near dangerous wildlife enclosures.
