First polar bear spotted in Iceland since 2016 is shot dead by police

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A polar bear was spotted in Iceland for the first time since 2016—and was promptly shot dead by police.

Police said they had no option but to kill the animal after consultations with environmental authorities.

The bear is believed to have traveled to Iceland from Greenland on an iceberg, a journey of hundreds of miles. It was killed in Höfðastrand, on the northwestern tip of the island, on Thursday.

Broadcaster RÚV said Friday a number of icebergs have recently been spotted off the Icelandic coast.

Authorities said the bear was healthy and weighed between 330 and 440 pounds. It has been transported back to the capital Reykjavík for tests.

The last polar bear sighting in Iceland was in 2016. After two bears arrived in Iceland in 2008, authorities decided that they would be killed due to the risk they posed to humans and livestock.

Experts also said that the animals could not survive long in Iceland due to the lack of sea ice and a limited food supply. Females would not be able to give birth, nor raise offspring on the volcanic island.

The cost of returning the bear to Greenland is too high, authorities said, forcing police to kill the animal.

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