A female polar bear was shot dead in North Iceland on Saturday. The bear had come ashore near the farm Hvalnes and was first spotted by local farmers who quickly alerted authorities and people living on neighbouring farms.
Killing the animal was deemed necessary by authorities to ensure people’s safety. “We had no choice but to shoot the animal as it was too close to farms and a camping site,” Kristján Þorbjörnsson, Sauðárkrókur Police Department’s chief superintendent, told Bylgjan radio station.
This is the fifth polar bear killed in Iceland since 2008. The killings have been extremely controversial and gained much critisism. The animal was delivered to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History which will examine its remains. Experts continue to debate the reason for the growing number of polar bears reaching Iceland’s shores.
“Why do the animals embark on such a journey? We simply do not know, but we are trying to find the answers to that question,” animalologist Karl Skírnisson told Channel 2 News.
A female polar bear was shot dead in North Iceland on Saturday. The bear had come ashore near the farm Hvalnes and was first spotted by local farmers who quickly alerted authorities and people living on neighbouring farms.
Killing the animal was deemed necessary by authorities to ensure people’s safety. “We had no choice but to shoot the animal as it was too close to farms and a camping site,” Kristján Þorbjörnsson, Sauðárkrókur Police Department’s chief superintendent, told Bylgjan radio station.
This is the fifth polar bear killed in Iceland since 2008. The killings have been extremely controversial and gained much critisism. The animal was delivered to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History which will examine its remains. Experts continue to debate the reason for the growing number of polar bears reaching Iceland’s shores.
“Why do the animals embark on such a journey? We simply do not know, but we are trying to find the answers to that question,” animalologist Karl Skírnisson told Channel 2 News.
