Norway fines tourist guide for scaring polar bear

Don't come too close!Don't come too close!
Don’t come too close! (AFP Photo/PAUL J. RICHARDS)

Oslo (AFP) – Usually the humans are scared of the wild animals. But in the Norwegian far-north, an Arctic tourist guide has been fined 1,300 euros ($1,500) for scaring off a polar bear.

When a group of tourists on a snowmobile expedition in May spotted a bear standing still, 900 metres (2,950 ft) away, their guide decided to approach the predator to take a closer look.

The animal, spotted on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, fled the scene.

“The regulations say that it is forbidden to approach polar bears in such a way that they are disturbed, regardless of the distance,” the Svalbard governor’s office said in a statement.

Located 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from the North Pole and twice the size of Belgium, Svalbard is, according to 2015 state figures, home to nearly 1,000 polar bears, a protected species since 1973.

vCard QR Code

vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.

The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.

Five deadly attacks on people have been recorded in about 40 years.


πŸ• Top News in the Last Hour By Importance Score

# Title πŸ“Š i-Score
1 Congress members pay an unofficial visit to Syria as U.S. mulls sanctions relief 🟒 82 / 100
2 NASA's sun-studying PUNCH mission captures its 1st-light images. Everything looks great so far πŸ”΄ 80 / 100
3 Slot denies Liverpool dropped Darwin NΓΊΓ±ez due to row at training ground πŸ”΄ 70 / 100
4 The 'world's largest' gold deposit has been discovered worth a whopping Β£61bn πŸ”΄ 65 / 100
5 Alexander Zverev tie interrupted as heckler draws attention to domestic abuse allegations πŸ”΅ 55 / 100
6 Canadian drummer arrested on child sexual abuse material charges in California πŸ”΅ 45 / 100
7 Mum reveals 'genius' hacks for beach – but not everyone is convinced πŸ”΅ 45 / 100
8 Marvel Rivals Will Soon Be Getting Swimsuit Skins πŸ”΅ 35 / 100
9 'Take care of our station. It's our everything.' Russian cosmonaut hands control of ISS over to Japanese astronaut (video) πŸ”΅ 35 / 100
10 'I'm a gardening expert β€” adding 1 feature to your garden will encourage wildlife' πŸ”΅ 35 / 100

View More Top News ➑️