Ah, Iceland ... What's up with all these Scandinavian countries? (Wait, is Iceland Scandinavian, Nordic, or both? Anyways ...)
Here's a sad story of a polar bear, the first to swim to Iceland in 15 years, only to be shot dead by police:
The bear was spotted nonchalantly strolling along a road near the town of Skagafjördur yesterday morning around 9.30am by a farmer.
Experts say it had arrived on an ice floe and local laws stipulate they can be killed – despite the fact they are on the endangered species list – if one threatens humans or livestock.
Stefán Vagn Stefánsson, the chief police officer of a neighbouring town, took the decision to shoot it dead. He claimed no narcotics were available and a gun necessary to fire such drugs was in another part of Iceland 'so therefore it was necessary to kill it'. The animal was moving and we could not risk losing sight of it. Weather conditions were foggy and the bear was moving quickly.
But his version of events was hotly disputed by the chief veterinarian in the town of Blönduó. Egill Steingrímsson said he had the knockout drugs neccesary to immobilise the bear.
Previously on Neatorama: Rare White Moose? Let's Shoot It, Said Norwegians
Secondly, what should Icelanders do with an animal that is wandering around hungry where the animal is far away from its natural habitat? Shoot it to protect the local wildlife (which is non-preditory except foxes and birds of prey perhaps). A polar bear has no place in the islands wildlife.
Thirdly, it is true that not many people live there (about 300.000) but you can bet your ass that some tourists were destined to be polar bear dinner within a day or two.
Finally, what's one polar bear killed by an Icelandic gun compared to the melting of the north pole, the polar bear's (and Santa's) home, by way of global warming from big industrial nations such as the USA? It's one bear people, so had the north pole not been melting he would probably not had floated to his imminent death in Iceland to begin with - so stop polluting and killing the bears that way before you lose it over one bear that died of "natural" causes.
Hilsen from big brother Denmark:)
These are BEARS people, not cuddly toys! They are large, quick and cunning predators, and a clear danger to human beings. Hello, is there no-one left in the world with a modicum of common sense?
Polar Bear populations are at the highest level ever recorded, and this encroachment into human habitats will continue. And it's not because of the North Pole melting....
Some basic knowledge of science goes a long way. Fear-mongered fairy-tales being accepted on faith is a sad artifact of the dumbing-down of our education systems.
Note to polar bears: Dont go on holiday to Iceland. I know you are POLAR bears and that it has ICE right in the name but trust me on this one.
Localised overpopulation (for instance, with Polar Bears) causes encroachment into other species' territory.
What exactly is wrong with Darwin's "survival of the fittest" evolutionary theory, anyway? Shouldn't the most intelligent and resourceful creature be the survivor - this ensures the optimum use of resources, where less adaptive creatures fail.
Polar bears stalk, hunt and kill people.
Polar bears spotted in Iceland are killed, you don't want one wonder around you or your children. It's just been a long time since one showed up, way before the internet ;)
For the haste killing, I think it could have come to play that the rights to bear fall to the location of the slaying. I don't think they wanted to loose the bear over to the next town ;) And the fact that this was all over the local news and the place was filling up with spectators.
oops
thats when you know your country is small
These things aren't cuddly, they'll kill you. They aren't all dying out, they're reproducing quickly.