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The first polar bear seen in Iceland since 2016 has been shot

Police killed the animal for safety reasons

Sep 21, 2024 07:56 348

The first polar bear seen in Iceland since 2016 has been shot  - 1

A polar bear, first seen in Iceland since 2016, was immediately shot by the police for safety reasons, DPA and AFP reported.

Police said they had no choice but to kill the animal after consulting the Icelandic Environment Agency.

The bear is believed to have arrived in Iceland from Greenland on an iceberg, a journey of several hundred kilometers.

TV channel RUV reported that several icebergs have recently been spotted off the Icelandic coast.

Authorities say the bear was healthy and weighed between 150 and 200 kilograms. She was transported to the capital Reykjavik for tests.

A polar bear was last seen and shot in Iceland in 2016.

In 2008, two bears appeared in the country, and the authorities also decided to shoot them because of the risk they posed to people and livestock. Another animal was killed in 2010.

Experts explain that polar bears cannot survive long in Iceland due to the lack of sea ice and limited food supply. It would not be possible for female specimens to give birth or raise offspring on the volcanic island.

According to authorities, the cost of returning the polar bear to Greenland was too high, forcing police to kill the animal.