But a clip shot on the Norwegian island of Svalbard showed the moment one brazen creature, undeterred even by a volley of gunshots, turned and gave chase.
A Russian mining manager was seen bounding through the snow as onlookers shouted out 'No! Go away!' at the bear.
The animal, capable of running at speeds of up to 25mph, charged at the man who, in his panic, dropped his rifle as he leapt onto a snowmobile.
The bear was seen just feet away from the lucky Russian as the snowmobile came to his dramatic rescue.
The alarm at the Pyramiden came as the mining manager was trying to scare away polar bears from the village, which is popular with tourists.
At the time, there were about 80 people in the settlement, who were staying at the Tulip Hotel, said a source at Arktikugol, a Russian Arctic coal company operating in the settlement.
A person from the firm explained: 'Bears frequently enter Pyramiden because their migration route runs through the area. Some bears are aggressive, while others are more timid and skittish.'
The manager had a lucky escape as the bear closed in. While bears are not active predators of humans, they will attack if especially hungry or threatened.
Last year, two polar bears killed a worker at a remote Arctic radar station in Canada's Nunavut territory.
'Employees of the trust undergo training and monitor the safety of tourists, among other duties,' the Arktikugol source explained.
'Both the man and the bear are currently fine,' he said of the undated scare in Pyramiden. 'No-one was injured.'
Voices were heard in the clip admiring how the production manager had risked his life to scare the bear, as one said: 'Very brave guy. Damn, that guy is brave.'
There are around 300 polar bears on Svalbard. The same one had been seen two days earlier 'inspecting snowmobiles'.
Eyewitnesses said food had been left in the vehicles which attracted the predator.
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