(Image source from: AP)

A polar bear that unexpectedly appeared near a remote Icelandic village's cottage was shot by the police, who considered it a threat to the local residents. The bear was killed on September 19 in northwest Iceland after consultation with the Environment Agency, which decided against relocating the animal. The police chief stated that they did not want to take this action, but the bear was very close to a summer house where an elderly woman was alone. The woman locked herself upstairs in fear as the bear rummaged through her garbage. She contacted her daughter in Reykjavik for help using a satellite link. The bear, estimated to weigh between 150 and 200 kilograms, will be taken to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History for further study.

The scientists plan to examine the bear for parasites and infections, assess its organ health and body fat percentage, and possibly preserve its skin and skull for the institute's collection. Although polar bears are a protected species in the country, authorities may take lethal action if they pose a danger to humans or livestock. While attacks on humans by polar bears are very uncommon, a study found that the loss of sea ice due to climate change has led to more hungry bears coming onto land, increasing the risk of human encounters. The study revealed that from 1870 to 2014, there were 73 documented attacks by wild polar bears across the five polar bear Range States, leading to 20 deaths and 63 injuries among humans.