Polar bears left spattered in gore after feasting captured in photographs Franco Banfi, 56, watched in awe as a trio of polar bears took turns skinning and then feasting on a dead walrus The Swiss photographer, boarded a boat to sail towards Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic There, he saw the adult bears enjoy a three-day meal - and one was even bold enough to try and climb aboard his boat These stunning photographs of blood-soaked polar bears feasting on a dead walrus show exactly why they are such fearsome predators. After a three-day long meal on the carcass, their white fur and black snout are covered with blood and spattered with gore. Photographer Franco Banfi, 56, watched in awe for three days in July as a trio of polar bears feasted on the walrus in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic. The adult bears took turns skinning and feeding on the carcass - and one was even bold enough to try and climb aboard his boat. Come aboard: Photographer Franco Banfi was travelling in the Arctic and spotted polar bears - and one tried to climb aboard his boat Mask: The trio of bears spent three days feasting on the carcass of a dead walrus and developed a mask of dried blood on their faces Roar: The stunning images captured by the Swiss photographer showed the fearsome nature of the predators Blood-stained: The bears took turns skinning and feasting on the carcass. This polar bear has blood over his claws and face The Swiss photographer had been travelling in the region when he boarded a boat and sailed towards land. It was then he spotted the bloody carcass hidden among the ice. He waited for the bears to return to their meal and watched as they skinned the walrus and fed on the remains while the others slept or waited for their turn. He said: 'We sailed into the ice with the sailing boat, not too far from the carcass and we waited for the first polar bear to approach. For the next three days we stayed there to photograph the bears. From time to time one of the bears came close to the boat, the big one tried to climb the boat, but luckily changed his mind and went away. Another one came in front of the boat and almost fell asleep. To watch a polar bear skin a walrus is like watching something visceral, primordial, which belongs to the origin of the animal kingdom. Clean: This polar bear washes its head and paws in the water after taking a break from his meal in Svalbard, Norway Torn: This polar bear walks away from the bloody carcass with a piece of the skin off the walrus in its mouth Wander: This polar bear is seen exploring along the ice away from his friends who spent three days taking turns eating the walrus Putting on a show: A blood-stained polar bear rips meat from the walrus carcass as a group of seagulls watch Vicious: The photographer said watching a polar bear skin a walrus is like 'watching something visceral, primordial' Share: This picture shows two blood-covered bears enjoying their meal together - but there's not much left to go around Predator: Three days of feasting mean this bear will have to scrub pretty hard to get the blood off his face 'We sailed into the ice with the sailing boat, not too far from the carcass and we waited for the first polar bear to approach,' said Mr Banfi He said the bears came close to the boat 'from time to time' and the big one tried to climb the boat but went away after a while Roar: The photographer said his group sailed the boat into the ice and when they spotted the carcass, they waited for the bears Time for a nap: The photographer said 'another one came in front of the boat and almost fell asleep'