Tag Archives: polar bear
‘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.
BEAR KILLED FLOWN FAR FROM LONGYEARBYEN IN 2016: Seven-year-old male brought to northeast corner of Svalbard after high-profile visit; its long-distance return was fatal
A polar bear killed near Longyearbyen early on New Year’s Day also approached town in April of 2016, with officials opting then to tranquillize and fly it by helicopter to the northeast corner of Svalbard, adding an extra element to the current debate about whether a similar approach should have occurred this time.
‘DISGUSTING LOSS OF LIFE’: As usual, shooting of polar bear on New Year’s sparks outrage at governor’s decision to kill animal – and the presence of humans/tourists in Svalbard
A decision to kill a polar bear at 4 a.m. New Year’s Day because it kept venturing into Longyearbyen, even though it has been chased some distance away and didn’t post an immediate danger to humans, is triggering a familiar and fierce debate about the decision – as well as the mere presence of humans/tourists in the inhospitable landscape of Svalbard.
POLAR BEAR SHOT: Officials kill bear at 4 a.m. Wednesday after it visited Longyearbyen multiple times; governor says no other practical solution possible
Photo by Sophie Cordon.
A polar bear that visited Longyearbyen four times since last Thursday, including minutes after midnight on New Year’s, was shot and killed by officials a few hours after the last approach because there was no other practical alternative to protect people in town, according to The Governor of Svalbard.
BEAR AT CABINS IN BJØRNDALEN: Governor, after abandoning helicopter chase due to weather, flies out again Sunday morning when bear seen in populated area near town
Update 12 p.m. Sunday: “The governor still does not have a full overview of where the polar bear is now,” Gov. Kjerstin Askholt said in a prepared statement. “We therefore ask people to be very careful.”
Original story: A polar bear that visited Longyearbyen twice since Thursday before being chased away returned Sunday morning to a cabin area in Bjørndalen, about eight kilometers southwest of Longyearbyen, where The Governor of Svalbard has again deployed a helicopter with the intent of chasing it far from settled areas.
