Dmitry Kokh's 1,200-mile expedition looked like a failure. He was looking for Polar Bears on Wrangel Island in the Chukchi Sea. But he hadn't had any luck. But things were about to change. His team sailed passed a smaller island nearby. "We saw some movements in the windows of the abandoned houses. And when we got close - those were bears!"

The houses belonged to an old meteorological station. Once he landed, Dmitry found bears everywhere he looked. Leaning out of the windows, resting on porches, lounging on the surrounding grass. 

Humans and bears have a complicated relationship. For centuries, humans caught bears and held them in captivity. There was bear baiting, there were circus bears and bears that danced as street performers. Today, hunting bears is still popular in the US. 

On the other side, bear attacks on humans are rare, but they do happen. And the number is increasing. Three people were killed on the Japanese island of Hokkaido in the first six months of 2021. According to a local scientist, "The reason for the rise in victims is that brown bears are no longer afraid of humans."

Perhaps it would not be a bad thing if bears took over the world from humans. After all, they have many admirable qualities.

1. Intelligence.  Bears have the largest brains, relative to their size, of any land mammal. They are as clever as apes and monkeys and cleverer than dogs. They can break into dustbins and other containers to find food. And they elude hunters by covering their tracks.

2. Strength. Bears are about five times as strong as humans. They also run much faster, with a top speed of around 35mph. Plus, they are very good swimmers and climbers.  

3. Organisation. Although bears spend a lot of time on their own, they have a strong sense of community. They never lose track of each other, and sometimes help other members of the community find food. 

4. Patience. Bears are good at hunting because they are happy to wait a long time for their prey. A polar bear will sit for hours beside a hole in the ice until a seal pops up.

5. Eco-friendliness. Bears are much closer to nature than humans and more attuned to climate change. By hibernating they conserve energy and reduce the amount of food they consume.

Yes: Bears are intelligent and much stronger than we are. They are very adaptable. They can survive in environments as varied as the Arctic and Asia. They do not go to war with each other. 

No: Humans are much cleverer. We will always be able to lead the animal kingdom as a result. Bears are more vulnerable to climate change than we are: their habitats are shrinking all the time.

Or... We can learn a lot from bears without allowing them to take over. If we found a way of hibernating, we could massively reduce carbon emissions and live a more sustainable life.