Spotted: Polar Bear In Iceland For First Time In 8 Years, Shot Dead By Authorities

A polar bear that made an unusual appearance outside a cottage in a remote Icelandic village was shot by police after being deemed a danger to local residents. The bear was killed on September 19 in northwest Iceland following consultations with the Environment Agency, which decided against relocating the animal.

Concerns for Local Safety

“It’s not something we like to do,” said Westfjords police chief Helgi Jensson, according to AP. The bear was spotted very close to a summer house, where an elderly woman was staying alone. In fear, she locked herself upstairs while the bear rummaged through her garbage and contacted her daughter in Reykjavik for help via satellite link.

“She stayed there,” Jensson noted, adding that other summer residents had already vacated the area. “She knew the danger.”

Rare Sighting

Polar bears are not native to Iceland but occasionally drift ashore from Greenland on ice floes. The bear shot on September 19 was the first sighted in Iceland since 2016, with only 600 recorded sightings since the ninth century. Estimated to weigh between 150 and 200 kilograms, the bear will be sent to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History for further examination. Scientists plan to study the bear for parasites and infections, assess its organ health and body fat percentage, and possibly preserve its pelt and skull for the institute’s collection.

Polar Bears’ Human Encounters 

Although polar bears are a protected species in Iceland, authorities may take lethal action if they pose a risk to humans or livestock, according to the AP report. While attacks on humans by polar bears are extremely rare, a study published in the Wildlife Society Bulletin in 2017 indicated that climate change has resulted in more hungry bears venturing onto land, increasing the likelihood of human encounters. The study revealed that from 1870 to 2014, there were 73 documented attacks by wild polar bears across Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia, and the United States, resulting in 20 fatalities and 63 injuries.