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Man Fined for Waking Up Polar Bear With Foghorn
Newser • • world
Key Points:
- A person in Norway's Svalbard archipelago was fined 50,000 kroner (approximately $5,265) for using a ship's foghorn to wake a sleeping polar bear on shore, which caused the bear to move away.
- The incident occurred in a remote fjord about 620 miles from the North Pole, and the fine was accepted and paid, according to the governor's office.
- Local regulations prohibit needlessly disturbing, attracting, or pursuing polar bears, which have been protected in Svalbard since 1972.
- Svalbard enforces strict wildlife protections to avoid disrupting animals such as polar bears, walruses, whales, and arctic foxes, with previous fines issued for similar disturbances.
- The archipelago is home to around 250 polar bears and 2,700 humans, with researchers noting that polar bears remain in good condition despite shrinking sea ice.
