Authorities in Iceland conducted an aerial search over the Westfjords yesterday after a video surfaced online that reportedly showed a polar bear drifting on an ice float.
The footage, taken aboard an Icelandic fishing vessel, appeared to capture the animal roughly 50 nautical miles north of Straumnes. It quickly spread on social media, prompting a coordinated response from the Westfjords Police and the Icelandic Coast Guard.
You can see the video for yourself on Vísir’s original article.
Bear-ly there
A two-hour surveillance flight was launched, covering a wide range of areas, including the likes of: Hlöðuvík, Hornvík, Dröngar, Jökulfjörður, and Höfðaströnd. However, no polar bears, or indeed any signs of landfall, were detected during the operation.
In a statement, the Westfjords Police said: “As experience has shown us over time, we cannot rule out the possibility that a polar bear will appear near or on land at some point. We encourage you to be vigilant and to notify the authorities if you suspect such a thing. Either the police or the Coast Guard, via the emergency number 112.”
Sightings of polar bears in Iceland are rare but not unprecedented. On occasion, they drift south from Greenland atop ice floats. By the time they reach Iceland, these huge natural predators are typically starving, calling for the animals to be put down.
Authorities are continuing to monitor the situation but have stressed that there is no immediate threat.
