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Norway: Don't scare the bears!

 

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.

The best part of every trip is realizing that it has upset your expectations

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