Posted on 06/08/2008 1:02:51 PM PDT by Red Steel
A polar bear that swam more than 200 miles through near-freezing water to reach Iceland was shot by local police - just in case it posed a danger to humans.
The death of the bear, thought to be the first to reach Iceland in about 15 years, caused a public outcry from animal lovers, the Guardian reported. A police spokesperson said that it would not have been possible to sedate the bear.
"There was fog up in the hills and we took the decision to kill the bear before it could disappear into the fog," police spokesman Petur Bjornsson.
Icelands environment minister, Thorunn Sveinbjarnardottir is said to have given the green light for police to shoot to kill because it would have taken 24 hours for a proper tranquilizer to be flown to the scene.
A vet from a neighboring town, however, criticized the decision, claiming that he had the drugs necessary in the trunk of his car.
"If the narcotics gun would have been sent by plane, it would have arrived within an hour," he said. "They could keep tabs on the bear for that long."
The bear is believed to have swam either about 200 miles from Greenland or from some distant chunk of Arctic ice. The last time a polar bear made a similar journey to reach Iceland was in 1993, and that bear was also shot to death.
The tragedy is being cited as a reminder of the impact that receding North Pole ice has on its animal inhabitants - the shrinking of the polar bears' hunting and mating grounds and the ripple effect on the area's eco-system.
A rep for PolarWorld, a German group dedicated to the preservation of the polar regions, called the bear's death "an avoidable tragedy ... another great day for mankind."
Iceland does have seals, which is a major component of a polar bears diet.
MMMMM-BOY! BEAR BURGERS!
Excellent point!
"The tragedy is being cited as a reminder of the impact that receding North Pole ice has on its animal inhabitants..."
Do you know how they keep track of how much pressure the bears are under? - with a bearometer.
I’m no animals rights loony but that is down right sad.
I’d tend to agree. I guess cops everywhere are short on patience.
LOL, did your 4 year old tell you that one?
“Icelands environment minister, Thorunn Sveinbjarnardottir is said to have given the green light for police to shoot to kill because it would have taken 24 hours for a proper tranquilizer to be flown to the scene.”
guess they didn’t have any other choice, it’s sad to see the bear go, but they still might have had a legitimate reason to do so. Either way, I’m not there so I can’t second guess their decision.
he wanted a job that Icelandic bears refused to do.
So says the Goracle.
By this logic America must kill all grizzly and brown bears as dangers to humans.
Better to set public policy with illegallay invasive polar bears than to let it creep out of hand. Next, the giraffes and ostriches will begin to slip in unawares.
Also learned the polar bears were one of few animals who could swim in the frigid northern waters--"polar" bears for a reason.
Today's hysteria is almost more than I can stand.
vaudine
A polar bear was shot by local Iceland police; only 24,999 to go.
Oh great. This will be the Abu Ghraib for the methane police.
This bear probably floated 195 miles on an ice shelf and maybe swam five miles to shore. They have been known to swim 20 miles but it’s not an everyday affair.
They tend to eat vegetation only as a last resort, they prefer meat.
Polar bears are seen all the time swimming anywhere from 60 to 100 miles out at sea. This is nothing unusual.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.