Iceland police kill polar bill, for fun apparently, after it swam 200 miles in search of land

[Robbien]

From AmericaBlog
http://www.americablog.com/2008/06/iceland-police-kill-polar-bill-for-fun.html

This is a story about global warming - polar bears literally can't find ice to rest on anymore - and about human cruelty. They didn't have to shoot the starving, exhausted bear. They could have easily sent for tranquilizers. They shot the endangered species anyway, apparently for fun, and then posed with the dead bear for glamor shots.

More details from towleroad site:

A Polar Bear that swam 200 miles from either Greenland or a "distant chunk of Arctic ice" finally reached land in Iceland, where it was shot by a group of police, They said they were afraid it posed a threat to humans but couldn't wait 24 hours for a "correct tranquilizer" to be flown in.

Actually: "Sveinbjarnardottir's account was disputed by the chief vet in the town of Blönduó, Egill Steingrímsson, who said he had the drugs necessary to immobilise the bear in the boot of his car. 'If the narcotics gun would have been sent by plane, it would have arrived within an hour,' he said. 'They could keep tabs on the bear for that long.'"

And then the pigs posed smugly behind it like some kind of trophy — a starving, exhausted, (not to mention endangered) animal whose life had just ended

http://www.towleroad.com/2008/06/iceland-police.html

And for those brave souls who have strong stomachs, the link at towleroad has video.

[Muttocracy]

1. that's terrible :-(

[Oerdin]

7. Not at all.

Polar bears are not native to Iceland and they do pose a threat to humans. I dare say you wouldn't want a large carnivore stalking your neighborhood. If the hungry bear decides to eat someone's pet, their livestock, or (heaven forbid) a child then the local authorities might be sued so it doesn't make sense to leave an undoubtedly hungry large predictor free to move about.

[Muttocracy]

8. if they can swim there on their own, they're native even if they're rare

nonnative = people put 'em there.

Of course they're a threat to people. But they couldn't wait to tranquilize instead? Should we exterminate polar bears, mountain lions, and grizzly bears from the U.S.?

[cbc5g]

25. Yours is a bullshit response -- they have tranquilizers

Theres no excuse for killing an endangered species.

[KSCFAN]

26. Look at all the predatory animals in NYC.

Oh wait that's right they kill them all. Why not restock NYC with wolves and bears?

[Liberty Belle]

27. species migrate when their homelands are threatened - this bear should have been protected.

History is full of examples of animals that crossed land bridges, isthmuses, etc and established new colonies in distant places.

I hope the government of Iceland will enact a law to protect these endangered creatures should any more manage to make their way to Iceland's shores!

[jayfish]

47. Yeah, Cause I Saw Population Centers All Over The Place In That Video.

:eyes:

Jay

[tom_paine]

2. This is something I would not expect from Iceland or Icelanders.

While I have never been there (I would love to go), as I understand it, it's a very Green and enlightened place.

That's one awful tragedy and clearly, assholes are the one species that will never go extinct.

[Indenturedebtor]

4. Run of the mill for many who want to be cops for the wrong reasons

We have our share of such "command presence" assholes here too.

Not all cops are scumbags, just most of them.

[tom_paine]

11. And like the rest of Amerikan society, that percentage is on the rise,

often aided by the "permission from authority" that the Bush Era has unleashed.

Like they said in Blade Runner, "You're either cop or little people."

I never thought I'd live to see a day in this country where that was so close to being true.

I guess it always HAS been true, for African-Americans. Now we are ALL African-Americans, so to speak.

[Indenturedebtor]

33. When any person is in bondage, we are all in bondage

One of my favorite parts of the Passover Seder. So very true.

[AndyA]

3. This is just sickening.

I hope there's something special waiting for all of the people involved when they die.

I hope that bear has lots of ice to rest on now.

[ColbertWatcher]

5. Technically, the bear was not looking for land, it was looking for food. n/t

[Robbien]

6. At the beginning of his journey that may have been true

but after the first ten or twenty miles, the need for land must have trumped the hunger for seals or whatnot.

A two hundred mile swim is a very long haul without rest.

[ColbertWatcher]

9. Who can know? n/t

[Blue_Tires]

10. sad

[undeterred]

12. Why are men such assholes?

[LucyParsons]

15. Seconded

nt

[EstimatedProphet]

20. I thought the idiocy you put up yesterday was bad...

[Bluebear]

Whoever "Sveinbjarnardottir" is, she is female

:(

[undeterred]

28. I didn't see any women in the "trophy" picture

and I'm not going to watch it again.

[Bluebear]

36. I don't blame you, But "dottir" is a female in Iceland. "Son" would be male.

When you are born to Sven, if you are his son your last name is Svensson. If you are his daughter your last name is Svensdottir. So some lady is at least part of this horrible event.

Notwithstanding, you are right that it takes a lot of testosterone to be a polar bear killer for "fun".

[Zuiderelle]

29. Why are humans such assholes?

A few men in a picture don't make every man an asshole.

[undeterred]

31. I make no such claim. The men who did this are assholes.

And when I hear a story like this, it seldom if ever turns out to be a horde of women killing a weakened animal... or even any women.

[EstimatedProphet]

32. Then you need language classes

The statement "Why are men such assholes" is a statement about the group "men". The statement "Why are the men who did this such assholes" would be a statement about the men who did this, which is what you are trying to claim you said. The two statements are not the same.

[undeterred]

35. Go pick a fight with someone else.

[EstimatedProphet]

39. You picked this fight.

[Zuiderelle]

34. But blanketly saying all men suck, isn't fair to men who don't.

Those men suck. Those men are assholes. We can't complain about men who make generalized insults about women if we do the same to them.

[undeterred]

38. I think men who read my comment in context will be able

to figure out if they are the assholes I am referring to or not.

[Zuiderelle]

46. So a man posting "women are bitches" wouldn't be offensive to you?

Right.

[Evoman]

37. I'm gonna get flamed for this, but fuck it. I agree with you.

When 99 percent of the time shit like this happens, men are responsible, and 1% time its women, then we really have to look at why this is.

Hell, I'll go one further and say that although not all men are assholes, it certainly appears that most of them are.

[leftchick]

13. this is so sickening.

cowardly, mutherfuckers.

:cry:

[TexasObserver]

14. in their defense, everyone on Iceland is drunk, 24/7

That's actually somewhat true, and they're usually fairly reasonable people, but DAMN! Killing a polar bear for sport!

[AngryAmish]

17. That is true, if you substitute "Florida" for "Iceland"

[TexasObserver]

18. it's true whether you substitute Florida or not

[ornotna]

19. Don't you get tired of that

Florida
Florida
Florida
Florida
Florida
Florida
Florida

Got any other punch lines?

[AngryAmish]

21. A bit defensive about your weird, drunken, useless state?

[ornotna]

23. A bit defensive about your weird, drunken, useless prattling on about Florida?

Get a life.

[niyad]

16. that is beyond sickening, and I hope they are punished.

(by the way, you might want to check your title of this thread)

[VP505]

22. Oh NOES, they killed Polar Bill?

Isn't he that cousin of Mr Bill's, from up north?

[cbc5g]

24. Intentionally killing an endangered species should be punishable by years in prison

I have no sympathy for stupid fucks who think they are badass for shooting endangered animals. They deserve prison. They could have used tranquilizers. When will humans learn that we depend on biodiversity for our own survival?

[bikebloke]

30. It wasn't killed for fun according to the Guardian report

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jun/05/animalwelfare.animalbehaviour

There was criticism over whether it should have been tranquilized. But the bear started towards the crowd of spectators and they put people first.

[Evoman]

40. Yeah, and then they posed for fucking pictures.

[undeterred]

41. Reminds me of the troops in Winter Soldier

who posed with the bodies of innocent civilians they had killed.

[pitohui]

43. first polar bear in iceland in 15 years supposedly? are we to believe you would not have taken pix?

sorry i'm not that holy

it's easy for me to sit back here and say what i would have done about a very hungry polar bear about to fade into the fog...not so easy to actually have to take the heat if i decide wrong and somebody's kid is lunch or the bear ends up as a rug

[Evoman]

45. I may tried to document the incident, but I sure as hell wouldn't have posed with

an endangered animal I had just shot. Especially not with a smile on my face.

[cbc5g]

50. Yeah fuck em..."Hey MA look at me I aimed a rifle and pulled a trigger I'm so awesome im da savior."

[pitohui]

42. it is sad but yes it sounds like a judgment call

now there is time for finger pointing and second guessing but when a very hungry polar bear is about to disappear into the fog in search of edible prey, i wonder what choice any one of us could have made

sometimes you're just thankful someone else has to decide because it's a difficult and sad thing either way

[jayfish]

49. Once Again, From The Video...

footage, I was hard-pressed to see any fog. It's a BS story, refuted by the video.

Jay

[Junkdrawer]

44. Here's the video...."started towards the crowd of spectators" seems like a stretch...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7496024423861124503&q=polar+bear+iceland&ei=p9JHSLquKov6iQLGtITNDA

[jayfish]

48. Did You Happen To Watch The Video?

That bear was hundreds of yards from anyone. That, and if the authorities were so concerned about safety; don't ya think they should have kept spectators the hell away from a wild bear?

Jay