Tag Archives: polar bears
BE NOT THAT AFRAID: Yes, a polar bear (or two) is lurking near town Saturday – but that’s NOT why this helicopter is rattling roofs
Locals missed out on dozens of dogs yelping, but there were a few cases of the yipes at noon Saturday as residents wondering if a polar bear lurking near town was the reason a rescue helicopter was perched on the ridge of Sukkartoppen a short distance above homes.
Short answer: no. Somewhat longer answer: Click the blue box below.
10TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE SPECIAL: Extra-extra-extra massive amount of random weirdness for the week of March 12, 2019
Quiz before reading the next sentence: What worst-case local police emergency explains the “hot” vehicle in this picture?
Too much to bear: Open weekend at Fredheim cancelled by governor due to several polar bears located nearby
An annual open weekend at the Fredheim trapping station at the entrance to Templefjorden has been cancelled this weekend due to the presence of multiple polar bears in the vicinity, The Governor of Svalbard announced Thursday. The announcement comes a day after the inner portion of the fjord was closed to motorized traffic due to numerous incidents of wildlife being disturbed.
Random weirdness for the week of Feb. 19, 2019
The first sunlight of the year is back and so are the first polar bears at the Polish Polar Station at Hornsund (unless the predators were lurking in the dark waiting for some hapless person without a headlamp). But it’s not entirely a happy sight for staffers and not because of what some outsiders might presume is the possibility of becoming polar prey.
ALL-CONSUMING TERROR: Could massive polar bear “invasion” of town on neighboring Russian island happen in Svalbard? Probably not unless we get wasted, expert says
Those dozens of polar bears invading and terrorizing a small Russian island town to the east with some remarkably similar qualities to Longyearbyen are going to have plenty of energy to swim here if so inclined when they finish their feast. But while photos of the bears are making for lively local social media fodder, don’t expect them to make the long swim here – or, more importantly, those already in the area – to stage a similar occupation.
Moronic motorist: Man faces charges for driving truck near polar bears on sea ice near Pyramiden
A man in his 50s who in April drove a pickup truck onto the sea ice in Billefjorden where two polar bears were nearby is facing criminal charges, prosecutors said this week.
No blubbering allowed: Polar bear family denied whale carcass near Longyearbyen returns to the area for a bit Wednesday
A trio of polar bears found eating a whale carcass just outside Longyearbyen on Monday made a return visit the area for several hours Wednesday, according to The Governor of Svalbard.
Police steal polar bear family’s feast: Whale carcass removed from cabin area near Longyearbyen; outrage ensues
What might have been a feast for the ages (or at least some weeks) for a mother polar bear and her two cubs ended up being a fast food meal Monday after police towed a beached whale carcass out to sea because it was in an occupied cabin area near Svalbard Airport.
Access of evil: Polar bears in eastern Barents Sea have highest toxin levels on Earth; Russia, China, climate change blamed
Polar bears who spend most of their time on the sea ice east of Svalbard have one-third more toxic pollutants in their blood than bears elsewhere in the Arctic, according to a 15-year study.
Among the primary reasons are high levels of industrial pollution from China and Russia, plus the fact polar bears in the east Barents Sea are being forced to exert more energy hunting and swimming – and therefore eat more – due to the rapid loss of Arctic ice caused by climate change.
Shell game: Seabirds and scientists in Ny-Ålesund sent scrambling as polar bears increasingly raiding nests for eggs
Polar bears losing their traditional hunting areas on the sea ice due to climate change are increasingly seeking out seabird nests for their eggs, in turn disrupting the peak season for birds who are breeding and researchers who are studying the animals.
A nest raid by a female polar bear and her cub last Sunday near Ny-Ålesund forced researchers to temporarily abandon their annual population count of common eiders and barnacle geese in Kongsfjorden. This summer’s intrusion comes after the same bear raided 80 eider birds’ nests holding about 300 eggs in three to four days.
