Polar bear in north Iceland

Last week a full grown male polar bear was seen walking across farmland in northern Iceland. The bear was shot on the orders of the police as there was concern for the safety of people living nearby. Polar bears are occasional visitors to Iceland — the last one was seen in 1993 — when they drift across on pack ice. Here’s a summary of the story and you can see a film clip here.

Update 26 June 2008
Another bear, this time a female, was also discovered a little further north some days later. A rescue operation started but when the bear began to move away a decision was taken to shoot her. A subsequent examination showed that she was diseased. Since then there have been several reported sightings of more bears or their footprints all of which were disproved.