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No, this is not some spurious nonsense about a Polar bear walking into frozen foods specialist! Rather, it is news that a Polar bear has been spotted on land on the northern shore of Iceland.
Polar Bear Spotted in Iceland
Local store owner Gunnar Asmundur was about thirty kilometres from Husavik – a medium-sized Icelandic community – spotted the bear getting out of the sea and walk along a desolate and dark stretch of beach. “It was undoubtedly a Polar bear,” he said, “it looked thin, probably a female, and clearly disorientated.”
He added: “I alerted the local authorities who are now monitoring the situation closely.” Here at Exodus, we are staying in regular contact with our local operator as we await further updates on this dramatic story.
Polar bear on ice
Our photographer Paul Goldstein, who has spent many years leading polar expeditions around Spitsbergen, said: “The police, alongside leading experts from The Scott Polar Institute, are carefully tracking the bear’s movements to ensure everybody’s safety. That’s all we know at this stage.”
He added: “Each year we take hundreds of people to see polar bears in the Arctic. If a stable population becomes habituated in Iceland, we could offer small ship expeditions much closer to home.
The Polar bear’s greatest long-term threat is melting sea ice. However, with plentiful fish stocks and resident seal populations on this more southerly landmass, it is feasible bears could adapt to dramatically changing environmental conditions by relocating.”
Until an expedition is available in Iceland, view our trips to the Arctic to see the Polar bear.
