Page 48 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE VOL9

Arctic fox Blue Arctic foxexplored the island on the zodiac. Another mammal species we saw in large number was walrus. They formed communities on a few places such as Kapp Lee, Kvitoya Island, and Storoya Island. They were curious by nature and often swam near the zodiacs to have a closer look. One rare incident occurred when a walrus mother punctured a zodiac with her long tusks, probably to protect her pup. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and the zodiac managed to return safely tothe ship.The next two species of mammalsspotted were one male and two female Svalbard reindeers on Chermsideoya Island and a large group of 29 harbor seals on Virgohmana Island.Our cruise ended with the visit to the spectacular Alkefjeet bird cliff where several thousands of Brunnich’s Guillemots resided from April to August to mate and breed before migrating to Greenland and Iceland during winter. A bonus our team enjoyed at this bird cliff was the unexpected sighting of two Arctic foxes in grey and white summer coating, which would turn completely white in winter, and one very rare Blue Arctic fox in dark brown coating. The three foxes were preying on the birds and eggs. Both the Arctic and the Blue Arctic foxes are the same species, with only 3% of the Arctic foxes having dark brown fur.We very much enjoyed the cruise and our Arctic adventure as we brought back many memorable photographs and valuable video footage for our TV documentary program. May I recommend cruising Svalbard Archipelago to those who seek adventure, unique Arctic wildlife, and spectacular sceneries.46 Elite+