A rare polar bear, spotted outside a cottage in a remote village in Iceland, was shot by police after being considered a threat.
According to the police authorities, on spotting the animal the Environment Agency was consulted to relocate the bear but they declined forcing the officials to take action.
Westfjords Police Chief Helgi Jensson said, "We had to take the action as the bear was close to the cottage. There was an old woman in the house."
WHAT A SHAME! A rare polar bear shows up outside a cottage in Iceland, cops shoot it dead. pic.twitter.com/exsHaURR8Z
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Jensson added that the owner of the house was frightened and locked herself upstairs as the bear rummaged through her garbage.
The woman had contacted her daughter in Reykjavik and called for help.
Though polar bears are not native to Iceland, they are occasionally spotted ashore after travelling on ice floes from Greenland.
Many icebergs have been spotted off the north coast in the last few weeks.
The polar bear shot was spotted in the region after eight years. Sightings are relatively rare with only 600 recorded in Iceland since the ninth century.
Though bears are protected species in Iceland, the officials are granted permission to kill them if they pose a threat to humans and livestock.
A task force led by the environment minister was formed after two bears arrived in 2008, which triggered a debate over killing the threatened species. The task force team concluded that killing vagrant bears was the most appropriate response.
It was also observed that the non-native species posed a threat to people and animals, and the cost of returning them to Greenland, about 300 km away was very high. It was found there was a healthy bear population in east Greenland where any bear was likely to have come from.
The young bear, which weighs between 150 and 200 kilograms (300 to 400 pounds), will be taken to the institute to study.
The institute will be checking for parasites and infections. The physical condition of the animal will be checked.
According to the police, a Coast Guard helicopter searched the area where the bear was found to look for others but didn't find any.
