From the article for those not wanting to read it: "Police realized the polar bear was a threat after viewing a documentary, which informed the officers that polar bears are indeed black under their white fur. One officer is quoted as saying ‘I feel betrayed and hurt.’
There’s a few things going on here.
I think this particular polar bear is “rare” simply because it happens to have come ashore in Iceland, which doesn’t often happen. It’s species is merely “threatened”.
Also, this isn’t wanton wholesale slaughter. This particular animal was a threat to humans and after considering the options euthanisation was determined to be the least bad. As humans, we’ve observed this practice literally since the dawn of time. We regularly euthanise sharks which have attacked humans, we regularly cull “pests” including large cute ones like Kangaroos, and smaller cute ones like foxes and rabbits.
Encroachment of humans on the habitat’s of threatened species is certainly a problem, and one which needs to be carefully managed, but this is not that.
As unfortunate as this is, afaik, polar bears are one of the most aggressive animals around, intent on eating pretty much anything that moves. I don’t doubt that it did pose a threat.
Since my comment was removed for trolling (I wasn’t trolling, it was just sarcasm), I will rephrase it. If we accept the premises that any polar bear that is a threat should be killed and every polar bear is inherently a threat, then the conclusion is that every polar bear should be killed. I reject the first premise and conclusion.
Or, you know, just the ones that are actively posing a threat. Like in all such animal situations.
So what about humans posing a threat to them? If it’s so rare to have them show up in Iceland, what drove a polar bear to do this? From what I understand, with less ice at the poles it has made it harder for polar bears to hunt seals, leaving many of them starving. As we head towards winter, polar bears have to put on fat stores to survive and feed newborn cubs. It’s really a shame that so many people talk about “animals” as if we aren’t animals too. By your logic, there would be nothing wrong with polar bears rolling into town and eating the species threatening their survival.
Most murders are committed by people. I say we reduce the number of people, perhaps through allowing them to destroy the environment so that they cannot survive. This will make the world safer in the long run, and it will also teach humans that their actions have consequences.
As a side effect, polar bears will also die, so everyone will be happy (and dead)!
Of 73 documented attacks by polar bears from 1870 to 2014 in Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia and the United States — which killed 20 people and injured 63 — 15 occurred in the final five years of that period.
The bear shot on Thursday was the first one seen in the country since 2016. Sightings are relatively rare, with only 600 recorded in Iceland since the ninth century.
I mean yeah its a polar bear. its a threat
