Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, way up in the Arctic, has under 2,700 residents, over 1,000 polar bears, and about 130,000 visitors a year—and it’s issued some stiff fines to make sure the bears are left in peace.
In May, a tourguide who leads snowmobile expeditions spotted a polar bear, about 900 metres away. Anxious to give his party a better view, he zoomed up closer to the bear, which fled the scene.
The guide has now been fined €1300. “The regulations say that it is forbidden to approach polar bears in such a way that they are disturbed, regardless of the distance,” the Svalbard governor’s office said in a statement.
Svalbard, known for many years as Spitsbergen, is twice the size of Belgium, but mostly undeveloped except for its port and mining industries. The bears have been a protected species since 1973. In recent months, as the area has had warmer weather, the bears have been reported eating seabird eggs to replace their usual diet.
