Polar bear died under marks in Svalbard – VG

“We have routinely opened a case about the incident,” says Assistant Governor Sølvi Elvedahl.

The polar bear died in connection with the polar bear brand that the Norwegian Polar Institute is currently working on in Svalbard, according to the governor.

On Thursday an autopsy was performed.

According to the local newspaper Svalbardposten, this is the 30th or 31st polar bear that has been tagged this fall.

– Every incident is too much, both we and investigators think so, says Morten Wedege, Manager of Environmental Protection for the Governor of Svalbard.

He says there have only been two or three polar bear deaths in connection with the research in the last ten years.

– The labeling of polar bears is important, for researchers and for us. It’s to get an overview of what kinds of bears we have, how many there are, and how they are affected by climate change, says Wedege.

Explain that the information they receive helps the Governor to manage the responsibility they have, both with the bears and with the inhabitants.

– We have an obligation to care for the polar bear as a species, a species particularly vulnerable to climate change. And we have an obligation to make sure we have enough knowledge about the bear to protect the population here in Svalbard, explains the environmental protection manager.

Investigating the case

When you mark a polar bear, you shoot it with a stun gun before marking it. A vet should always be present, Wedege says.

What happened to the male bear who is now dead is too early to tell.

– It will be a long time before we know what the cause of death is. Good people from the Veterinary Institute jumped in and flew in from Tromsø to help us with the autopsy, he says.

The governor has routinely set up an investigation into the case.