Tag Archives: polar bear
POLAR BEAR BRINGS EARLY-MORNING MAY DAY CALL: Helicopter tracks animal for four hours as it wanders from Bjørndalen and past cabins before heading north
A polar bear sighted in Bjørndalen at about 3 a.m. Friday was tracked by a rescue helicopter for about four hours as it wandered past cabin areas, into Adventdalen, and though the water and coastline across from Longyearbyen before heading northward away from town, according to police.
People in cabins reported the bear to officials, who used the aircraft to monitor it but took no other action, said Police Chief Lt. Kjell Arne Lundin. He said there were no reports of encounters with people who were out.
No special precautions are being taken since the bear is now considered a safe distance from inhabited areas, he said.
BEAR ON BOARD: Crew of Russian cargo ship forced to take refuge on roof as polar bear climbs on deck in search of food
A polar bear in search of food climbed aboard a Russian cargo ship while it was in Svalbard waters, forcing the crew to take refuge at length on the roof until the predator, failing to find the fish aboard, gave up and swam away, according to the Murmansk Sea Fish Port.
AUTOPSY – BEAR DIED OF ANESTHESIA-RELATED CAUSES: Officials cite ‘unfortunate,’ but not unexpected reasons polar bear stunned near Longyearbyen died on helicopter flight north
A two-year-old polar bear sedated and flown by helicopter away from Longyearbyen in late January because of repeated visits in/near town died during the flight of “circulatory failure/shock due to the combination of prolonged chasing, stress and drug anesthesia,” the Norwegian Polar Institute declared in a statement Thursday following an autopsy.
POLAR BEAR DRUGGED, BUT DIES ON FLIGHT NORTH: Officials stun bear near Longyearbyen, investigating why it died on helicopter to northeast Svalbard
A polar bear spotted near Longyearbyen on Thursday evening was tranquillized after being chased away from town with the intent of flying it by helicopter to northeast Svalbard, but the animal died during the trip for reasons now under investigation, according to The Governor of Svalbard.
“We don’t know why it died,” said Morten Wedege, the governor’s chief environmental advisor, in a prepared statement. “The bear will now be autopsied to find the cause.”
‘YOUR PLANE TRAVEL DESTROYS POLAR BEAR HABITAT’: Flying to/from Svalbard melts about 3 sq. m. of ice, study suggests
Folks who criticize as hypocritical all those scientists and tourists flying to Svalbard to see the pristine environment and effects of climate change have a new scientific number of their own to cite – each round-trip flight emits enough CO2 to melt about three square meters of the sea ice that is vital for polar bears and other Arctic wildlife.
GOVERNOR: IF YOU CARE, BEWARE OF BEAR: Killing animal that has encountered tour groups in Bolterdalen in recent days is last resort, but public needs to avoid provocative actions
Growls of frustration are already being heard as officials are trying to cope with another bear lingering near Longyearbyen in recent days, including two encounters with guided tour groups. But while The Governor of Svalbard says it is doing everything to avoid a repeat of the controversial killing of a bear on New Year’s Day, it’s crucial the public do everything possible to prevent potentially harmful situations.
FENDING OFF A POLAR BEAR WITH A ROPE: Dogsled guide says bear approached tour group too quick to use weapon, scared it off by hitting it with brake rope on sled without incident
Marcel Starinsky says the dogsled group he was guiding was only 200 meters from the kennels at the end of a six-hour trip when a sight that will be forever remember appeared.
“Out of the darkness, over a greenery in the terrain, came a polar bear,” he told Svalbardposten late Wednesday. “It came right at my sled and my dogs.”
ALERT – ANOTHER POLAR BEAR NEAR TOWN: Governor sends helicopter to monitor bear seen Wednesday afternoon in Bolterdalen, tracks also seen on Longyearbreen on Tuesday
Update 6:30 p.m.: The governor is chasing the bear south through Bolterdalen and plans to continue chasing it to Tverrdalen.
Update 5:50 p.m.: Green Dog Svalbard also reported an encounter with a polar bear at their kennels about 10 kilometers east of Longyearbyen, the governor’s office told Svalbardposten.
Original story: A polar bear was spotted Wednesday afternoon in Bolterdalen, a valley southeast of Longyearbyen, prompting a warning from officials after bear tracks were also observed Tuesday on Longyearbreen south of town.
RANT: Rumor persists the bear killed on New Year’s isn’t the one that visited in 2016. It’s utterly absurd, unless it’s the biggest and stupidest conspiracy by officials in modern times
First, to the naysayers: yes, the lip tattoo and ear marker on the bear are a match. Unless two different official agencies are telling an easily-discoverable lie for reasons beyond comprehension.
Unlike certain parts of the world where leaders are spouting non-stop “alternative facts,” claims of “fake news” and – in a new classic uttered just yesterday – “no one said this wasn’t photoshopped,” even nonconformists at this newspaper tend to trust public officials are truthful about facts regarding major incidents such as the highly controversial killing of a polar bear on New Year’s Day.
GUEST COLUMN: Polar bear murder on the New Year’s night due to ‘lack of resources’ inexcusable
By Nikita Ovsyanikov.
Photo by Marie Lørup Stenshøj
A New Year celebration in Longyearbyen turned out to be no good for an unfortunate polar bear – a seven-year-old healthy male, whose only “sin” was his curiosity and interest in food containers in the town.
