06/05/2008
Iceland Police Kill Polar Bear After it Swims 200 Miles to Find Land
This is so sad.
A Polar Bear that swam 200 miles from either Greenland or a "distant chunk of Arctic ice" finally reached land in Iceland, where it was shot by a group of police, They said they were afraid it posed a threat to humans but couldn't wait 24 hours for a "correct tranquilizer" to be flown in.
Actually: "Sveinbjarnardottir's account was disputed by the chief vet in the town of Blönduó, Egill Steingrímsson, who said he had the drugs necessary to immobilise the bear in the boot of his car. 'If the narcotics gun would have been sent by plane, it would have arrived within an hour,' he said. 'They could keep tabs on the bear for that long.'"
And then the pigs posed smugly behind it like some kind of trophy — a starving, exhausted, (not to mention endangered) animal whose life had just ended by their rifles.
Clip AFTER THE JUMP...
(warning: GRAPHIC)
Posted 10:43 AM EST by Andy Towle in Global Warming, Iceland, News, Polar Bears | Permalink
Like it?
Subscribe to FREE Towleroad daily headlines with our RSS feed!
RECENT STORIES:
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
Damn, this made me cry. Poor baby.
Posted by: banjiboi | Jun 5, 2008 12:22:44 PM
My gawd, Noah, you are a retard. You don't even have your conservative talking points right.
Both Bush and McCain believe global warming (or "climate change" as some like to call it) is occurring. No one disputes that anymore. In fact, McCain has made global warming a big part of his platform. The argument now is whether it is man-made or a naturally occurring phenomenon.
Ya know, I could actually respect your conservative views if you knew what you were talking about. But you're just an idiot.
Posted by: crispy | Jun 5, 2008 12:28:04 PM
I would encourage everyone to email the Minister of the Environment as I plan on doing, and to send the story to all of your friends condemning her actions:
tsv@althingi.is
http://www.althingi.is/cv_en.php4?ksfaerslunr=79
Posted by: ZnSD | Jun 5, 2008 12:29:59 PM
Thank you Andy.....BASTARDS, If we could only shoot asshol*s That pose a threat also, i would be shooting nonstop....What an idiotic excuse....PIGS PIGS PIGS, they deserve jailtime
Posted by: bosie | Jun 5, 2008 12:45:01 PM
Though Iceland's large population of redneck hillbillies tearing up pristine landscapes in giant SUV's and shooting guns, drunk off their asses, does make it *feel* like the US sometimes, technically, it's a different country, so the Endangered Species Act does not apply.
Posted by: greg.org | Jun 5, 2008 12:51:25 PM
Here's the email I just sent the minister of the enviroment:
I'm appalled that your ministry authorized the unnecessary and cruel killing of an exhausted animal that just swam 200 miles after its home melted from under its feet. Yes, I'm an American and yes we cause the majority of global warming and are responsible for holding back international efforts to curb emissions. Yes, I'm part of the problem. But in the meantime, can't we all just exercise a little humanity in dealing with the effects of global warming on the rest of the planet?
Posted by: Christopher | Jun 5, 2008 1:05:02 PM
Why do you call them pigs? Would pigs do this kind of thing?
The ones guilty of this despicable act - and so many others - are humans.
Posted by: Charles | Jun 5, 2008 1:33:15 PM
ALL HUMANS ARE SHIT! WE ALL ARE GOING TO GET OUR IN THE END..........
Posted by: wopboptoorledo | Jun 5, 2008 1:38:26 PM
Dan
http://www.polarbearsos.org/
Be warned though that they have a cute cudely pic of 2 cubs at the top of their home page. It makes this story even sader
:-(
Posted by: Jimmyboyo | Jun 5, 2008 1:42:08 PM
I am sickened and feel like crying. That is horrid and I will be writing a letter as well, what else can we do.
Posted by: anne | Jun 5, 2008 1:42:55 PM
Wow! Isn't there a single thinking person on this board? Polar bears are some of the most amazing animals on the Planet. They are also probably the most perfect killers. A starving Polar Bear is no "poor puppy" but a ferocious carnivore that can kill a grown man in seconds. The Iceland Police did what they had to do to protect people. Would you want an extremely dangerous killer walking around in your neighborhood? But the photo posing was really bad taste, I agree on that.
Posted by: Andy | Jun 5, 2008 1:51:59 PM
I think it's pig hunting season in Iceland. Their typical habitat/hideout: multi-color cars with sirens & flashing lights on top. Often they'll have guns and badges, but little intelligence and humanity.
Shoot to kill.
Posted by: I before E | Jun 5, 2008 1:52:56 PM
Sorry.....but a lot of these posts make me just as sick.
Posted by: Kevin | Jun 5, 2008 2:02:33 PM
Andy said it perfectly: This is so sad.
Our treatments of animals, as humans, is the one thing I am most ashamed of. When I see bears in the Western Mountains being killed because they got into somebody's garbage - when I think about the cats and dogs that get abandoned and put to death - when I see how farmers treat non-free-range chickens - when I hear stories like this, it all makes me so, so sad. I guess it's a reflection of how we often treat each other.
Posted by: Cyd | Jun 5, 2008 2:08:26 PM
What an incredibly sad story. : (
Posted by: Giovanni | Jun 5, 2008 2:17:39 PM
Let's not insult pigs. They are actually sweet animals - much more intelligent then these things.
These creatures are savages, barbarians, and living waste material that should be destroyed.
Posted by: Andy | Jun 5, 2008 2:32:11 PM
That sh*t pisses me off! Shoot the damn bastards. I wish the polar bear would have worked up a good appetite before the shot went off.
Proof positive animals are many times more civil then human beings.
Sick f8cks! posing for the picture as if it's something to be proud of with their old war horse geezer smug smiles.
Posted by: Kyle | Jun 5, 2008 2:32:51 PM
There's an email address at the beginning of the video:
postur@environment.is
While I tend to agree that everyone has contributed to the phenomenon that led to a polar bear even having to swim 200 miles to reach Iceland and while I do agree that they are dangerous animals, it seems there were alternatives to killing it. And what is worse is the terrible marksmanship that required two shots to down the animal in the first place. I realize the level of crime in Iceland amounts to Bjork beating up paps in the airport, but you would have thought he could have tried to get a little closer to kill the bear if he was that bad of a shot. Worst case would have been the bear would have eaten him then not been hungry and they could have then sedated it before it killed anyone else.
Posted by: Banne | Jun 5, 2008 3:02:44 PM
Holy crap. I'm actually in Iceland on vacation right now, and a friend just sent me this link. Our tour guide told us about this story this morning, and it sounded like such a remarkable tale of a polar bear's survival... until the guide shared the terrible twist ending. I had no idea this would be international news, but I'm glad it is. I was horrified when I heard it, and I'm glad to hear others are, too.
Posted by: Jerry | Jun 5, 2008 3:09:15 PM
I'd like to see Bjork go off and kick their asses like she did that reporter in Asia.
She could probably enlist the help of the remains of the Sugarcubes and Gus Gus as well.
Posted by: Rey | Jun 5, 2008 3:16:08 PM
There are between four and five times as many polar bears today as there were 40 years ago. People may choose to call them endangered for their own political goals, but the facts tell a different story.
If this had been a tiger in Asia or a lion in Africa and the people doing the shooting had not been white, I am sure that you would not all be saying such judgemental and hateful things about them.
Killing an animal is very sad to me also, but as I'm not a vegetarian, I find it difficult to become overly hypocritical about the matter. What would you be saying if the bear had eaten a child? Is that as sad to you? I bet that it's not for most of you.
Posted by: paul | Jun 5, 2008 4:05:50 PM
AT LEAST IN AMERICA, THOSE FUCKERS WOULD BE ARRESTED FOR CLEAR VIOLATION OF FEDERAL
LAW, NOT TO MENTION ANIMAL CRUELTY. THE JUDGMENT, BAD PR, AND LEGAL EXPENSES THAT WOULD REIGN DOWN ON THAT "POLICE" DEPARTMENT WOULD AMOUNT TO MAJOR $$$$$$$ in DAMAGES!!
(as if you can put a figure on the last few polar bears remaining)
THE POLAR BEAR JUST GOT LISTED AS OFFICIALLY
ENDANGERED AND GOING EXTINCT UNDER THE U.S. ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT (ESA).
THE ESA IS ONE LITTLE "PIECE OF PAPER" (as George Bush refers to things like the U.S. Constitution!) that is LITERALLY and BARELY KEEPING MANY SPECIES HERE ON THIS PLANET!!
Posted by: Eric | Jun 5, 2008 4:07:51 PM
Paul,
No, they're tracking polar bears better and keeping a few more in captivity, but their natural habitat is changing and is ever more limited. That is the fact.
Hence, this bear has to swim 200 miles (?!) to find land. They are not fish, BY THE WAY!!!
There is no excuse for shooting down a bear in cold blood that was not a present threat, especially in a country that has relatively few human occupants anyway... Call in the Veterinarian, not the goon squad.
Posted by: alicia | Jun 5, 2008 4:15:09 PM
"Well, I guess Americans aren't the only ones with a "NRA mentality"."
Thanks for the unnecessary slur. This isn't an "NRA mentality", this is a violent murderous domination, a senseless brutality mentality.
A true sportsman like most NRA members DO NOT KILL FOR PLEASURE. A true sportsman respects the environment, the ecosystem, and his prey, and does not kill indiscriminately, but only - ONLY - for food.
Posted by: Chaos Motor | Jun 5, 2008 4:35:23 PM
Holy WTF, Batman! How did someone get from shooting a polar bear to charges of racism?
I've seen some fucked up comments on this site over the years, but that one takes the cake.
Posted by: crispy | Jun 5, 2008 4:40:45 PM