Rare polar bear appears in Iceland for first time in eight years - and police shoot it dead

WARNING DISTRESSING IMAGE The polar carnivore was killed successful the northwest of Iceland aft constabulary consulted the Environment Agency, which decided not to person it relocated

A rare polar bear, which unexpectedly appeared adjacent an isolated Icelandic colony cottage, was changeable dormant by the constabulary aft being deemed a information to locals.

After the sighting was reported connected Thursday successful northwest Iceland, instrumentality enforcement coordinated with the Environment Agency to grip the situation. The bureau refused to relocate the animal, starring to the determination to sprout it, explained Westfjords Police Chief Helgi Jensson.

He said: "It's not thing we similar to do. In this lawsuit the carnivore was precise adjacent to a summertime house. There was an aged pistillate successful there."

The terrified owner, who recovered herself alone, barricaded herself successful an upstairs country portion the carnivore dug done her rubbish outside, Jensson said. The pistillate promptly contacted her girl successful Reykjavik via outer and alerted the authorities.

He added: "She stayed there. She knew the danger."

Anna Sveinsdottir, from the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, said polar bears are not indigenous to Iceland, but immoderate scope enactment drifting connected icebergs from Greenland. Notably, respective icebergs person been observed disconnected the bluish seashore recently.

Although uncommon, polar carnivore encounters with humans tin beryllium hazardous. A 2017 survey successful Wildlife Society Bulletin indicated that melting oversea crystal owed to planetary warming has caused progressively much polar bears to attack inhabited areas, heightening the imaginable for human-bear confrontations and escalating information for some sides.

Out of 73 recorded polar carnivore attacks from 1870 to 2014 successful Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia, and the United States - which resulted successful 20 fatalities and 63 injuries - 15 took spot successful the past 5 years of that period.

The carnivore that was changeable connected Thursday was the archetypal sighting successful the state since 2016. Sightings are comparatively uncommon with lone 600 recorded successful Iceland since the ninth century.

Despite being a protected taxon successful Iceland and it being amerciable to termination 1 astatine sea, they tin beryllium killed if they airs a menace to humans oregon livestock. Following the accomplishment of 2 bears successful 2008, a statement implicit sidesplitting the threatened taxon led the situation curate to name a task unit to survey the issue, the institute said. The task unit concluded that sidesplitting vagrant bears was the astir due response.

The radical stated that the non-native taxon posed a menace to radical and animals, and the outgo of returning them to Greenland, astir 300 kilometers (180 miles) away, was exorbitant. It besides recovered determination was a steadfast carnivore colonisation successful eastbound Greenland wherever immoderate carnivore was apt to person travel from.