Sleeping polar bear had to wake up with foghorn, man fined more than Rs 4.5 lakh

A big warning has come out for nature and wildlife lovers. It proved costly for a man to disturb a sleeping polar bear in Svalbard, a remote and snowy region of Norway. The local administration has taken strict action and imposed a huge fine of 50,000 Norwegian Kroner i.e. about Rs 4.5 to 5 lakh in Indian currency on waking up the resting bear from sleep with the help of the ship’s foghorn (loud sounding horn). This incident has become a great example of how strict Norway’s laws are regarding wildlife protection.

The polar bear ran away after being startled by the loud sound of the ship’s horn.

The entire incident took place earlier this month near a remote coast and fjord in Svalbard. When a ship was passing through this area, the people on board noticed a polar bear sleeping peacefully on the shore. Eager to get a closer look at the animal and induce movement, a man on board the ship reportedly deliberately sounded the boat’s loud foghorn. The sleeping bear was suddenly startled by the deafening sound of the foghorn, woke up in a panic and was forced to run away.

Local administration took immediate action and issued a warning

As soon as local authorities became aware of this senseless act, Svalbard Governor Lars Fouge immediately took strict cognizance of the matter and initiated legal action. A statement issued by the governor’s office clarified that while the ship was passing near the animal, a person on board unnecessarily disturbed the sleeping wildlife by blowing a foghorn.

Citing strict environmental regulations, the administration reminded that under the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act it is completely illegal to chase polar bears, harass them unnecessarily or disturb their natural habitat. The person guilty of violating this rule admitted his crime and agreed to pay the fine. Although authorities have not revealed the identity and nationality of the accused, tourists and tour operators have been issued a stern warning that polar bears have been a strictly protected species in Svalbard since 1972 and that interfering with their peaceful life will result in serious financial and legal consequences.