Police: "No choice"

First polar bear shot in Iceland since 2016

A polar bear was spotted in Iceland for the first time since 2016. However, the outing ended fatally for the animal, which had come from Greenland.

(Bild: MARIO HOPPMANN/AFP/picturedesk.comm, Lögreglan á Vestfjörðum (Polizei Island))

For the first time in many years, a polar bear has set foot in Iceland. But the trip ended fatally for the animal. 

The polar bear had presumably arrived in the northwest of Iceland on an ice floe from Greenland - a distance of several hundred kilometers. An increasing number of icebergs had been spotted off the coast, reported broadcaster RÚV. 

Polar bear shot by police
The police decided to shoot the animal. They had no choice, they said in a statement. The measure was taken in close consultation with the environmental authorities.

The police published a photo of the shot animal.

(Bild: Lögreglan á Vestfjörðum (Polizei Island))

Returning the animal to Greenland was out of the question, they said. The reason for this was also the fear that the polar bear could introduce diseases from Iceland. The predator was relatively healthy, said an expert. The 150 to 200 kilogram carcass is now to be examined in the capital Reykjavik.

Classified as a danger
The last time a polar bear was spotted in Iceland was in 2016. After two specimens came to Iceland in 2008, the authorities decided that polar bears should be killed there, even though the species is endangered. The animals are a danger to humans and livestock. They also very probably came from a population in East Greenland, which is stable, and the costs of repatriating them would be far too high.

In any case, experts believe that polar bears cannot survive in Iceland in the long term. There is no sea ice there and the food supply is limited. Females could neither give birth nor raise offspring on the volcanic island.