Wild polar bear shot in Iceland

Wild polar bear shot and killed in Iceland:

Polar bear shot and killed in North Iceland - Iceland Monitor

 

Whilst I appreciate the danger they represent its a shame culling is the solution. One would hope in this day and age that tranqu and relocation might have started to rise up more so in such areas - or if alternative means of dissuading the bear from human habitation could not be tried.

Of course its all a tricky thing when dealing with potential and real risk to human lives; but still we should have more options than just to cull

 

Maybe they don't had at hand, tranquilizers/immobilising drugs, and in particular fast immobilising drugs like opioides. But anyway it is sad for the animal, (vulnerable IUCN status).

 

Some information from the same website on the background to this response:

 

Thank you Shirokuma, very helpfull info.

 

The costs required seem rather inflated, though I appreciate that the news style simplification might have grabbed the highest estimation or worst case senario. "commando marksman trained in shooting from a helicopter" sounds extreme and I'm left wondering why a tranquilizer suddenly requires so much more investment over a simple bullet based approach - though I wonder if this is due to darts not travelling as far as a bullet and thus meaning one has to be a lot closer and thus within the dangerzone (even so surely quadbikes or similar would provide a suitable mobile platform).

 

The question remains, what would be done with the tranquilised bear?

 

If only Iceland had a professional wildlife rehabilitation facility...