$5,255 fine issued after foghorn wakes up sleeping polar bear
Summary
A person in Norway's Svalbard islands was fined $5,255 for waking a sleeping polar bear using a ship's foghorn. Disturbing polar bears is against local rules because they are protected animals in the area.Key Facts
- The incident happened in northeastern Svalbard, about 620 miles from the North Pole.
- A person on a boat used the foghorn to wake a polar bear that was sleeping on land.
- The governor's office fined the person $5,255, and the fine will be paid.
- It is illegal in Svalbard to disturb, attract, or chase polar bears without good reason.
- Polar bears have been protected in Svalbard since 1972.
- About 260 polar bears live in the archipelago according to a 2015 count.
- Scientists say polar bears in Svalbard are doing well despite climate change and melting ice.
- Research showed polar bears are adapting to smaller ice areas and may be hunting seals more easily.
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