ASSOCIATED PRESS • September 21, 2024
A rare polar bear that was spotted outside a cottage in a remote village in Iceland was shot by police after being considered a threat, authorities said Friday. The bear, a protected species in Iceland, was killed Thursday afternoon in the northwest of Iceland after police consulted the Environment Agency, which declined to have the animal relocated. The cottage owner, who was alone, was frightened. Other summer residents in the area had gone home. She stayed. “She knew the danger,” said police Chief Helgi Jensson. Polar bears are not native to Iceland but occasionally come ashore after traveling on ice floes from Greenland. A task force that studied the issue concluded that killing vagrant bears was the most appropriate response.