Polar bear shot dead after attacking person on Svalbard

The polar bear was shot and killed Saturday at the beach at Sjuøyene, on Svalbard, Norway. Norwegian authorities said the polar bear attacked and injured a crew member of the “MS Bremen” cruise ship who was leading tourists off the vessel on an Arctic archipelago between mainland Norway and the North Pole. (Gustav Busch Arntsen/AFP/Getty Images)
The bear attacked a person from a cruise vessel on Sjuøyene north of Nordaustlandet, in Svalbard.

The attack happened Saturday morning when a group of tourists went on shore from a cruise ship, the Joint Rescue Centre of Northern Norway informs.

The condition for the injured person, who was transported back to Longyearbyen (Svalbard capital) by helicopter, is reported to be stable. The polar bear was shot dead.

Svalbardposten, who was first to report about the incident, says the tourists belonged to the cruise ship “MS Bremen”.

Details about what happens will be for the Governor of Svalbard to investigate.

Increasing tourism

The cruise liner operating “MS Bremen” is from Hapag Lloyd Cruises. Live web-cam from the ship at 80’North of Svalbard is online, but no information about the injured person or the shooting of the polar bear was published by Saturday evening.

Sjuøyene are the northernmost group of islands on the Svalbard archipelago. The number of passenger vessels sailing expedition cruising in the waters around Svalbard has increased over the last few years and more are expected to start sailing as a fleet of almost 20 new ice-classed expedition ships currently are under construction.

Related stories from around the North:

Canada: Man in Northern Canada killed protecting his children from polar bear, CBC News

Finland: Rural Finland won’t be fully compensated for predator damage, Yle News

Norway: Polar bears greatly exposed to toxic chemicals in eastern Barents Sea, The Independent Barents Observer

Russia: Russia plans fenced parks to confine reindeer herding in Arctic, The Independent Barents Observer

Sweden: Helping people face “unbearable” fear, Radio Sweden

United States: Trump admin pushes for looser rules on predator hunting in Alaska, Alaska Public Media

Thomas Nilsen, The Independent Barents Observer

For more news from the Barents region visit The Independent Barents Observer.

One thought on “Polar bear shot dead after attacking person on Svalbard

  • Saturday, February 6, 2021 at 20:43
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    That’s a disgusting act that they did. They should’ve known very well that there is in fact wildlife in the area and should have been cautious. You cannot simply move onto wild land without checking first. They disrupted it and the way they handled things is despicable. They should all be ashamed of destroying a beauties life.

    Reply
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