Originally published at: First polar bear spotted in Iceland since 2016. Police shot and killed it. - Boing Boing
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So, they couldn’t tranq it, then relocate it? Jeez.
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Not really a whole lot of room left for them, sadly.
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Maybe not? Local police probably don’t have the training or resources to sedate and relocate a polar bear.
Sadly, the long-term survival rate for relocated bears is also depressingly low (at least for black and brown bears).
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so what does protected species mean then???
edit: 
(thanks!)
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The Icelandic environmental agency has said they did not have the trained personnel or equipment to relocate the bear.
There have been discussions with Greenland about returning bears in the past, but the authorities there have been concerned about the possibility of spreading disease between bear populations.
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RFK Jr. is on his way
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NEVER call the cops, unless you want an innocent victim shot.
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The first time police in Iceland killed someone was 2013, and trying to look up if there have been more since actually brought up this unfortunate bear.
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Must be one of those socialist shit hole countries /s
Thats an amazing contrast to the way the cops in the US operate and I shouldn’t have assumed it would be the same.
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They could have solved the problem by sedating and relocating the old woman instead.
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Exactly. “Small town in rural Iceland” isn’t a place that’s likely to train and be equipped for things that haven’t happened anywhere in the country for 8 years, and so rarely in general. If it hadn’t been near people, they probably would have tried to leave it alone until they could get a way to relocate it.
Elsewhere: I’ve heard that in Svalbard, everyone who travels outside town is required to carry a rifle, just in case there’s an unavoidable and dangerous encounter with a polar bear.
@Michael_Jason_K In general, protected means you have to try your best not to disturb them or their habitat (details vary). But, the authorities will still prioritize protecting humans when they need to.
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And rightly so. A colleague of mine who was on a scientific mission to Svalbard interviewed the Dutch tourist who was attacked by a polar bear in his tent there. You don’t want to hear the story of being stuck head first in a polar bear’s mouth for minutes and hearing your skull crack. Or even the stories about their stalking behaviour. Those animals are scary and intelligent AF. I don’t blame any small town in a country that doesn’t usually have them for taking the safe way out.
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