The Coast Guard’s search for a polar bear that might have accompanied the young animal killed in east Iceland on Wednesday has been called off for now. No bear sightings were made during the air search, which took place from 9 am to noon yesterday.
The Icelandic Coast Guard at practice. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
Police suspected that as the bear was so young, it might have been in the company of an adult bear. The Coast Guard will consult with the Environment Agency of Iceland whether further search is necessary, mbl.is reports.
After shooting the polar bear on Wednesday, police in Húsavík released a statement asking people in the region to be on alert. Police still recommend that people be careful, although no further polar bears have been spotted.
The slain bear turned out to be a female, weighing 136 kilos. It was in good shape, unlike the two bears that arrived in Iceland in the summer of 2008. The fur undamaged, it had no rub marks and the hairs were shiny which indicates that the bear wasn’t famished, Fréttabladid reports.
The bear was taken to Saudárkrókur yesterday where it was skinned. The fur will be preserved there but the carcass sent to the University of Iceland’s Keldur Institute for Experimental Pathology in Reykjavík for further research.
Click here to read more about the bear.
