An 83-year-old woman spotted a polar bear near her summer cabin in Höfðaströnd in the Westfjords, Vísir reports. The authorities put the animal down as they lacked the means to tranquillise it.
Loitering by the clothesline
Eighty-three-year-old Ásthildur Gunnarsdóttir had just reentered her summer cabin at Höfðaströnd in Jökulfirðir when she glanced out of the window.
Loitering near the clothesline, about three metres away, a polar bear was sniffing at her laundry.
Unable to contact the police directly, Ásthildur picked up the phone and called her daughter, who notified the authorities on her mother’s behalf.
The police travelled by boat from Bolungarvík to Höfðaströnd while the Coast Guard dispatched special operations personnel by helicopter.
As the Environment Agency lacked the necessary personnel or equipment, the bear could not be tranquilised.
It was put down.
Regret, expressed
Speaking to Vísir yesterday, Helgi Jensson, Chief of Police in the Westfjords, expressed his regret over the killing of the animal.
“We had no other options since the Environment Agency could not tranquillise it,” Helgi observed.
The Coast Guard helicopter subsequently conducted a precautionary search for more animals in the area.
“When these bears come ashore, they usually come alone,” Helgi told Vísir.
No other animals were found.
A cub of about 150 kilos
In an interview with RÚV published late yesterday, Þorvaldur Þór Björnsson, a taxidermist at the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, noted that little was currently known about the bear.
“We know it is a cub, but we don’t know its age or whether it’s male or female,” Þorvaldur stated.
The cub was flown to Reykjavík yesterday evening by a Coast Guard helicopter.
Þorvaldur estimates that the animal weighs between 150 and 200 kilos and appeared to be in good health, prior to its death.
“I’m not entirely familiar with its history, but it may have lost its mother,” Þorvaldur observed.
Þorvaldur believes that the cub may have travelled from Húnaflói, east of the Westfjords, after coming ashore.
Samples will now be taken from the animal for further examination.
Public dissatisfaction
Discussing the possibility of returning polar bears to Greenland, Þorvaldur emphasised that it is a complex issue; Danish authorities are hesitant to permit such transfers due to concerns about disease, and Greenlanders are not keen on receiving polar bears back on the ice.
Þorvaldur acknowledged the public’s dissatisfaction with killing such magnificent animals.
“I’ve disconnected my phone at night because all kinds of people are calling, upset about the shooting of the animals,” Þorvaldur remarked, who is now focused on investigating the Höfðaströnd cub.
