A rare polar bear sighted outside a cottage in a remote village in Iceland was shot by police after being considered a threat. The bear was killed in the northwest of Iceland after consultation with the Environment Agency, which declined to relocate the animal. The owner of the cottage, a woman, locked herself upstairs as the bear rummaged through her garbage, prompting the police to take action.
Polar bears are not native to Iceland but occasionally come ashore from Greenland. The loss of sea ice due to global warming has led hungry bears to land, increasing the chances of conflicts with humans. The bear shot in Iceland was the first sighting since 2016, with only 600 recorded in the country since the ninth century. While the bears are protected species in Iceland, they can be killed if they pose a threat to humans or livestock.
After the bear was shot, scientists plan to study its physical condition, including examining for parasites and infections. The bear’s pelt and skull may be preserved for the institute’s collection. A debate over killing the threatened species in Iceland led to the conclusion that killing vagrant bears was the most appropriate response due to the potential threat they pose to humans and the exorbitant cost of returning them to Greenland.
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