And the World Wildlife Fund has said the unfortunate episode highlights the fragility of one of the world’s last great wilderness, adding “every bear counts”.
The shocking picture of the bear lying dead after the incident, which happened last Saturday (July 28), having been shot through the throat, prompted considerable anger on social media.
Comedian Ricky Gervais one of those questioning why the party had disembarked on the island in the first place, tweeting: “”Let’s get too close to a polar bear in its natural environment and then kill it if it gets too close”. Morons.”
A statement issued by the office of the Governor of Svalbard said the incident, on the Sjuøyane Islands in the northern part of the Svalbard island group, was now the subject of an official investigation.
(Warning: the following picture may be distressing to some readers).
Polar bears on Svalbard are believed to outnumber people (Image: GETTY)
Ole Jakob Malmo, police superintendent, said: “We have ascertained some of the facts and are piecing together what happened.”
Mr Malmo said the bear had attacked one of 12 people from tourist ship the Bremen, owned by German-owned cruise company Hapag-Lloyd, who had disembarked at Phipps Island.
As a result, the victim, a 42-year old German national, sustained a head injury, at which point two of the others in the group opened fire on the bear and killed it.
Members of the group told investigating officers they had tried to scare away the bear by shouting as well as firing a signal pistol, but to no effect.
The polar bear was shot dead after the attack, prompting anger on social media (Image: AFP/GETTY)
The victim was taken to hospital in Longyearbyen by helicopter and later in the day transferred by plane to the University Hospital of North Norway in Tromsø, Mr Malmo added.
The polar bear has been transported to Longyearbyen for further examinations.
The WWF is reserving judgement pending the conclusion of the investigation, but Gert Polet, Head of Wildlife Conservation at WWF-Netherlands said: “As sea ice continues to shrink due to climate change, science tells us the global polar bear population is expected to decline more than 30 per cent by 2050 – so every bear counts.
“While we don’t know what prompted this specific polar bear to attack, the incident shows how carefully we must tread in polar bear habitat.
Comedian Ricky Gervais tweeted angrily about the incident (Image: Twitter)
Of course we are extremely sorry that this tragic incident has happened
“But to truly secure a future for these iconic bears, we must tackle climate change head on by reducing our carbon emissions and embracing renewable energy.”
In a statement issued after the attack, Hapag-Lloyd said: “Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has been operating expedition cruises in the Arctic region since 1993, during which time no such incidents have previously taken place
“Of course we are extremely sorry that this tragic incident has happened.
“Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has operated expedition cruises in the Arctic and Spitsbergen for many years with an experienced and knowledgeable on-board crew. Our company is respected in the destinations as a particularly responsible partner.
Tour company Hapag-Lloyd operate Arctic Cruises (Image: GETTY)
“The small expedition vessels in the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ fleet, which are allowed to land in these regions (Svalbard), need a special permit and have to meet high requirements to maintain it.
“Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has worked intensively and cooperatively with the Norwegian authorities to reconstruct and clarify this incident on the ground and will continue to do so.
“All previous examinations, as also confirmed by the Norwegian police, have revealed no evidence that misconduct has occurred.
“Also, internally we will work on assessing this very tragic incident exactly and carefully, draw conclusions and, if necessary, make adjustments.”
Svalbard is a remote, ice-covered wilderness which lies between Norway and the North Pole, where its 3,000 polar bears are thought to outnumber the human population.
Polar bear behaviour has changed in recent years as a result of increasing human encroachment on their territory, and a British student was killed by one during a field trip in 2011.
Three years ago, a Czech man who travelled to Svalbard to watch a solar eclipse suffered face and arm injuries after being attacked in his tent.