Cases pile up

German attacked by polar bear on Greenland

Recently, young and emaciated male bears had to be shot twice within a few days after coming dangerously close to people.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

A German researcher was attacked by a polar bear on the island of Traill Ø in Greenland. The man was first taken to the Mestersvig station and then to a hospital in Iceland. His condition was initially critical.

The day after the attack, his health was described as stable. The man is said to have been part of a German research team that was on the island. The polar bear was shot after the attack.

Emaciated polar bears seek out settlements on
So far this summer, an unusually high number of polar bears have been in the vicinity of people and settlements on Greenland. Recently, two young and emaciated male bears had to be shot within a few days after they came dangerously close to people in the village of Ittoqqortoormiit. One of them had been on its way to a soccer pitch where children had been playing. Ittoqqortoormiit is located about 200 kilometers south of Traill Ø.

Polar bear patrol goes on duty early
The polar bear patrol of the nature conservation organization WWF started its work early because of the two incidents. The patrol's main task is to keep an eye out for the predators between the start of the new school year in mid-August and the start of the bear hunt in January and to prevent them from entering the village in search of food by using rubber bullets, among other things.