A pair of paragliders made a lucky escape in Staffordshire after they were able to avoid landing inside a polar bear enclosure by a matter of inches.
The incident happened at Peak Wildlife Park in Leek on Tuesday with staff at the park claiming they witnessed two motorised gliders heading directly towards the enclosure, which contained two males, Nanook and Nori.
It caused keepers to rush towards the compound armed with non-lethal firearms in case the worst happened, which park director James Butler said had looked “almost certain”.
But both gliders managed to divert their landing just to the right side of the bears’ border.
Recalling the event, Mr Butler said: “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.”
He added: “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 with their mother Hope in August 2023 after their original home at a park in Sweden was closed.