First polar bear seen in Iceland in years shot dead by police

For the first time in years, a polar bear was spotted on Icelandic soil. But within hours, it was deemed a threat and shot by the police on Sept 19.

- Ang Qing

An elderly woman in the remote north-west of Iceland called for help after encountering the animal just metres away from her summer house, reported local news outlet Visir.

The bear was killed after police consulted the Icelandic environment agency, which declined to relocate it, Westfjords police chief Helgi Jensson told The Associated Press (AP).

“It’s not something we like to do,” Mr Jensson said. In this case, the bear had been very close to the summer house of the frightened owner, who was alone and had locked herself upstairs as the bear rummaged through her garbage, he added.

She also contacted her daughter, who lived more than 240km away in the nation’s capital Reykjavik, by satellite link.