Norway: Czech tourists who shot polar bear that attacked them fined US$1230

[webfact]

Tourists who shot polar bear that attacked them fined $1230

SVALBARD, Norway - They were lucky to be alive after a polar bear broke into their tent on a remote Norwegian island and tried to maul them.

But tourists who shot the animal three times with a revolver have now been fined nearly $1230 by the local government - because they failed to put a member of their group on “polar bear watch.”

The group, from the Czech Republic, were travelling in the Svalbard archipelago when they were attacked by the bear during the night.

Jakub Moravec, 37, said he awoke to find it “standing over him” in his tent.

“It went straight to my head. Luckily my colleague shot it,” he told local radio NRK shortly after the incident in March.

Zuzanna Hakova, who was part of the same tour group, said her mother then shot the bear three times with a revolver and it fled.

“We woke to shouts of "Bear! Bear!" coming from the second tent," she told NRK.

"We had a rifle on the outside of each tent and we also had a revolver in our tent. The ones being attacked had no chance of getting their weapon, so my mother took her revolver and shot the bear three times."

The bear survived the gunshots and was later put down by local hunters.

Full story: http://www.eturbonews.com/61453/tourists-who-shot-polar-bear-attacked-them-fined-1230

-- eTN 2015-07-15

[slapout]

If the czechs' had kept their mouth shut the incident would have probably been a report of a bear found either dead or on the verge thereof from what appearead to be gunshots or a madman loose with a icepick. they would then ask for anyone having info to how, what, why this happened to report to the local authorties.

Silince can be golden its the braggerts / snitches tree huggers,etc who are the main source of info and misinformation who cause more harm than good.

The bear had probably raided tourists camps, food supplies before , maybe had even attacked and consumed a human out on a evening walk. A 4 month investifation and the authorties determine a fine for shooting wounding a threat to human life is the best solution the tourists did not kill the bear but did not have a polar bear watchman on duty. what defense is authorized for the person assigned to be on bear watch, a willow switch, fireworks (Probably prohibited as they would interfear with the bears /wildlife napping?

[Usernames]

You must employ a polar bear watch? Is there a fee for applying to be a polar bear watcher? This could give some Third World countries in Asia a good idea or two how to make some extra money.

[timmyp]

They travel with rifles and revolvers? I guess that's for protection from polar bears? Obviously it paid off, but I never would have thought that tourists in Norway would be so well armed.

[oneday]

...and what would someone on Polar Bear watch have done? Shoot it or yell at it?

Edited July 15, 2015 by oneday

[Somtamnication]

They travel with rifles and revolvers? I guess that's for protection from polar bears? Obviously it paid off, but I never would have thought that tourists in Norway would be so well armed.

Of course! They got the gun from the Bangkok Police Chief, shipped from Tokyo!

[sammygood]

small price to pay for the safety of their lives

crazy law indeed ... no right to self defence ?

[timmyp]

small price to pay for the safety of their lives

crazy law indeed ... no right to self defence ?

They aren't being fined for shooting the bear, the article says that they are being fined for not having someone on "polar bear watch," and for taking insufficient measures with the trip wire, etc.

Edited July 15, 2015 by timmyp

[copa8]

You must employ a polar bear watch? Is there a fee for applying to be a polar bear watcher? This could give some Third World countries in Asia a good idea or two how to make some extra money.

Name me some 3rd world countries in Asia that has polar bears.

Next thing you'll tell us is this will give some 3rd world countries in Africa a good idea to employ polar bear watchers too.

[anon4546543]

_{copa8. If you do not understand satire, you should not post way out there answers.}

[TimmyT]

oh yeah, if the bear would kill the tourists - obviously there would be no fine at all.

and the bear would get away with it. because it's "just an animal"!

so the life of the bear worth more than a few human life

leftist laws in action

Edited July 16, 2015 by TimmyT

[Seastallion]

oh yeah, if the bear would kill the tourists - obviously there would be no fine at all.

and the bear would get away with it. because it's "just an animal"!

so the life of the bear worth more than a few human life

leftist laws in action

No, if the bear had killed someone, there would be even greater incentive to fine them for not having a watchman.

It's called negligence.

[TimmyT]

oh yeah, if the bear would kill the tourists - obviously there would be no fine at all.

and the bear would get away with it. because it's "just an animal"!

so the life of the bear worth more than a few human life

leftist laws in action

No, if the bear had killed someone, there would be even greater incentive to fine them for not having a watchman.

It's called negligence.

blame the victim?

[halloween]

You must employ a polar bear watch? Is there a fee for applying to be a polar bear watcher? This could give some Third World countries in Asia a good idea or two how to make some extra money.

Name me some 3rd world countries in Asia that has polar bears.

Next thing you'll tell us is this will give some 3rd world countries in Africa a good idea to employ polar bear watchers too.

We bought a polar bear protection amulet in BKK, they work amazingly well don't they? Not sure if they export to Africa.

[bakunin]

Svalbard is not just another tourist destination, it consists of numerous national parks/nature reserves where relatively strict travel regulations apply, and where carrying a rifle for protection is mandatory.

[Wonderboy]

oh yeah, if the bear would kill the tourists - obviously there would be no fine at all.

and the bear would get away with it. because it's "just an animal"!

so the life of the bear worth more than a few human life

leftist laws in action

No, if the bear had killed someone, there would be even greater incentive to fine them for not having a watchman.

It's called negligence.

blame the victim?

Since you haven't understood what others have told you, I give it a shot...

The area has several polar bears so anyone venturing there MUST have arms to protect themselves. Also camps should be surrounded by trip wires setting off flares if bears should come close. As another safety measure guards must stand watch in order to scare bears away, usually with noise and flares. Since the group failed to employ mandatory safety measures they were fined and rightly so. Polar bears are a protected specie, and can only be shot in self defense. If the group had followed the law, non of this would have happened...

WB

[WitawatWatawit]

You must employ a polar bear watch? Is there a fee for applying to be a polar bear watcher? This could give some Third World countries in Asia a good idea or two how to make some extra money.

Name me some 3rd world countries in Asia that has polar bears.

Next thing you'll tell us is this will give some 3rd world countries in Africa a good idea to employ polar bear watchers too.

We bought a polar bear protection amulet in BKK, they work amazingly well don't they? Not sure if they export to Africa.

I wish you'd told me about these before. It's bloody nerve-wracking going across the Sukhumvit divide to hunt in the dangerous aisles of Foodland.

[copa8]

You must employ a polar bear watch? Is there a fee for applying to be a polar bear watcher? This could give some Third World countries in Asia a good idea or two how to make some extra money.

Name me some 3rd world countries in Asia that has polar bears.

Next thing you'll tell us is this will give some 3rd world countries in Africa a good idea to employ polar bear watchers too.

We bought a polar bear protection amulet in BKK, they work amazingly well don't they? Not sure if they export to Africa.

Why do you need protection from white folks?

[copa8]

_{copa8. If you do not understand satire, you should not post way out there answers.}

I'm guessing I'm not the only one who doesn't get it.

[Linky]

oh yeah, if the bear would kill the tourists - obviously there would be no fine at all.

and the bear would get away with it. because it's "just an animal"!

so the life of the bear worth more than a few human life

leftist laws in action

No, if the bear had killed someone, there would be even greater incentive to fine them for not having a watchman.

It's called negligence.

blame the victim?

The victim was the polar bear. How is it being blamed? ?

[nkped]

There is also bear spray, basically a king size can of pepper spray.

Q. What's the difference between brown bear scat (shit) and black bear scat?

A. Brown bear scat smells like pepper and has bells in it. (You put small bells on your pack so you make noise and alert the bears to your presence.)

[balo]

There are very strict laws up in the Arctic region , the Svalbard islands has plenty of polar bears and I think at least 5 tourists has been killed by bears in the last 10 years or so.

So the tourists should know about the dangers and need to be prepared for anything. If you ask me negligence like this should be punished even harder.

[spidermike007]

You must employ a polar bear watch? Is there a fee for applying to be a polar bear watcher? This could give some Third World countries in Asia a good idea or two how to make some extra money.

Name me some 3rd world countries in Asia that has polar bears.

Next thing you'll tell us is this will give some 3rd world countries in Africa a good idea to employ polar bear watchers too.

We bought a polar bear protection amulet in BKK, they work amazingly well don't they? Not sure if they export to Africa.

Why do you need protection from white folks?

Do you want me to list the first twenty reasons or the next twenty? Ever heard of Stalin? Hitler? Bush? Cheney? The zodiac Killer? Vladimir Putin? Please ask more reasonable questions next time, ok?