A boat passenger in the Arctic Ocean has been hit with a hefty fine after deliberately using a ship’s horn to wake a sleeping polar bear.
The incident happened in August while a vessel was travelling through Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, where those on board spotted the bear asleep on land.
Rather than leaving the animal undisturbed, one person sounded the boat’s horn. The noise woke the polar bear and caused it to leave its resting spot and move elsewhere.
According to a statement from the Governor of Svalbard, fellow passengers reported what had happened to local authorities.
Governor issues fine after polar bear was woken up by horn
After reviewing the case, the Governor concluded that the person had intentionally disturbed the polar bear and issued them with a fine of 50,000 Norwegian kroner, equivalent to around $5,000.
The penalty was handed out for breaching Section 30a of the Svalbard Environmental Act, which states that “it is prohibited to unnecessarily disturb, lure or pursue polar bears.”
PexelsIt hasn’t been revealed who sounded the horn or why they decided to wake the bear. However, the person involved accepted the penalty, with officials confirming that the fine has already been settled.
Polar bears have been a protected species in Svalbard since the 1970s, with regulations in place to ensure they are unharmed. In fact, it’s forbidden to go within 300 meters of one when they’re out in the wild, or 500 meters between March 1 and July 30, when they’re likely to be at their hungriest.
It hasn’t been a great few months for regular bears, either, as one had to be rescued after getting its head stuck in a giant stove pipe, while another was chased out of a backyard by an angry cat.
I’m Abhishek Sharma, an author at TigerJek.com. I enjoy exploring games, testing different strategies, and turning what I learn into clear, useful guides. My goal is to help players understand the game better and improve without the usual confusion.
