above: Photographers Simon left and Dean middle explain their ordeal to a Meridian News journalist who visited the FameFlynet offices yesterday to do a video report on the polar bear incident.
above: The Sun used the images Wednesday | above: The Daily Mail used them on Thursday.
Photographer Simon Bridger a co owner at UK celebrity and news photo agency FameFlynet and photographer Dean Cranston of were on a FameFlynet commission shoot for Yorkshire Wildlife park in Doncaster to document in pictures and video the journey of Nissan the polar bear from Frankfurt airport by road to Yorkshire.
Simon takes up the story for us “The bear had started its journey at Moscow zoo where it was flown by freighter to Frankfurt airport on Tuesday.
‘We left Frankfurt airport at 2130hrs and arrives at Calais at 0400hrs. Our convoy came to a halt as a roadblock had been set up as we came off the main motorway into Calais. A group of migrants lying in wait vaulted the barrier and opened the back of the polar bear’s lorry and 3 jumped inside. The rest of the group closed the doors and fled. We alerted the driver by phone to the presence of the migrants and we drove for 10minutes towards the port and flagged down a police vehicle. The convoy pulled over and the police escorted the migrants from the truck.’
We then were escorted into the port and boarded a Dover bound ferry at 0645hrs. The convoy then continued to Yorkshire Wildlife Park arriving there at 1500hrs.”
“I have seen and experienced a lot while doing this job, but this has to be one of the most remarkable incidents I have ever photographed and videoed in my career.”