Arrived on an ice floe: First polar bear since 2016 reaches Iceland – police shoot him

Hundreds of kilometers separate Iceland from Greenland. A polar bear nevertheless made it to the island in the North Atlantic. However, its life was quickly ended there.

For the first time in many years, a polar bear has set foot on the North Atlantic island of Iceland. The police shot the animal and said they had no other choice. The measure was taken in close coordination with the environmental authorities.

The animal had probably arrived in northwest Iceland on an ice floe from Greenland – a distance of several hundred kilometers. Recently, more and more icebergs have been sighted off the coast, reported the broadcaster RÚV.

It was said that returning the animal to Greenland was out of the question. The reason for this was the fear that the polar bear could bring diseases from Iceland.

The predator was relatively healthy, said an expert. The carcass, which weighed 150 to 200 kilograms, will now be examined in the capital Reykjavik.

The last polar bear sighting took place in 2016

The last time a polar bear was spotted in Iceland was in 2016. After two specimens arrived in Iceland in 2008, the authorities decided that polar bears should be killed there, even though the species is endangered.

The animals pose a danger to humans and livestock. In addition, they most likely come from a stable population in East Greenland, and the costs of repatriating them would be far too high.

In any case, experts assume that polar bears cannot survive in Iceland in the long term. There is no sea ice there and the food supply is limited. Females would be unable to give birth or raise offspring on the volcanic island.

dpa