Svalbard Fines Passenger 50,000 Kroner for Waking Polar Bear with Ship's Siren
Updated
Updated · De Último Minuto · Aug 13
Svalbard Fines Passenger 50,000 Kroner for Waking Polar Bear with Ship's Siren
3 articles · Updated · De Último Minuto · Aug 13
Summary
50,000 Norwegian kroner was imposed and already paid after a person on a ferry in Svalbard deliberately sounded a ship’s siren to wake a sleeping polar bear.
Lomfjorden authorities said the bear woke up and moved to another spot, and other people on board reported the incident to the governor.
Section 30 of the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act bars unnecessary disturbance of polar bears, even without physically approaching the animal.
Svalbard’s strict Arctic wildlife rules also require people to keep 300 meters away from polar bears, reflecting broader efforts to prevent human activity from altering their behavior.