A polar bear in Greenland may be shot dead when humans spot him again, authorities said.
On Monday, the polar bear poked his head through a poorly closed window of a research station while he was looking for food.
A Danish Arctic military unit based in Greenland said the bear bit the hand of one of the team members before they used warning pistols to force the animal to flee.
The bear returned later in the morning and then again overnight Monday to Tuesday when he broke a window of the research station before fleeing.
“The local authorities have from now on categorised the bear as ‘problematic,’ which allows for him to be shot dead if he returns,” the Danish military unit said.
Polar bears travel further for food
Greenland experiences a heatwave, with a new record temperature of 23.4 degrees Celsius (74.2 Fahrenheit), caused by global warming for which humans are responsible.
Heatwaves are melting the living and hunting areas of polar bears. They have to travel further for food and sometimes come into places where humans live.
Although still rare, the close encounters with humans are increasing as polar bears look for food in areas where there are humans, environmental protection officers say.
A study that appeared in July 2020 in Nature Climate Change warned that polar bears faced extinction around 2100.
The Animal Reader is an animal news organization. We need your help to continue reporting on animal welfare and animal rights. If you can, please consider supporting our work.
