Icelandic police shot a polar bear near a cottage in northwestern Iceland after consulting the Environment Agency. The bear likely traveled from Green

In a rare incident, a polar bear was shot dead by police in northwest Iceland on September 19, marking the first sighting of the species in the country since 2016. The bear was deemed a threat to local residents after it ventured near a remote summer cottage, prompting authorities to take action.

Although polar bears are a protected species in Iceland, authorities are permitted to use lethal force if the animals pose a threat to humans or livestock. Encounters with polar bears in Iceland are exceptionally rare, with only 600 recorded sightings since the ninth century.

Police have shot and killed a polar bear that came ashore in northwestern Iceland, the first sighting of a polar bear there since 2016. It might have hitched a ride from Greenland on a floating iceberg.

Authorities say a rare polar bear spotted in Iceland was shot by police after being considered a threat. The bear seen outside a cottage in the northwest of Iceland was

The polar bear shot was spotted in the region after eight years. Sightings are relatively rare with only 600 recorded in Iceland since the ninth century