A polar bear being observed some weeks ago in Northern Spitsbergen with a thin nylon rope around its neck was now located and freed from the noose by members of the Norwegian Polar Institute. The case illustrates the danger for arctic wildlife occurring by the increasing amount of plastic waste floating in the sea and being washed ashore.
It was in the end of June as the polar bear was seen and photographed for the first time in Woodfjord by members of a boat trip on the »Arctica II«. The sailors informed the Sysselmann, who started to look out for the bear and asked for report in case of anyone seeing it. Presumably the thin rope around the animal’s neck originally was part of a trawl net. It was tied to a solid noose and the loose end hang about one meter to the ground. Fortunately the noose was not too tight so that the bear was not directly hurt or handicapped in breathing. The Sysselmann´s experts saw the greatest danger for the polar bear in taking much food in a short period of time, when for example finding a cadaver or hunting a seal. In this case it could gain weight quickly and the noose would get tighter and strangle the bear’s neck and cut into the skin.
The chance to find a single individual in such a large, deserted area usually is very low. So it was a lucky incident as on 22nd of July the Sysselmann got the report of the bear being seen close to the trapper station on Austfjordnes in inner Wijdefjord. On the same day members of the Norwegian Polar Institute arrived there with a helicopter. They could find the bear and anesthetize it. After removing the noose and examining the bear, the researchers made sure that the animal woke up and started moving again.
The polar bear was lucky being found and being a polar bear. Such an extensive operation would not have been started for a reindeer or for a single bird. Especially some sorts of birds face another thread from the plastic waste: They swallow small plastic pieces which will not be digested and can lead to the animal’s death. A recent survey among northern fulmars on Spitsbergen has shown that 90% of the birds have small plastic pieces in their stomachs.
Stranded plastic waste can turn into a trap for wild animals
This and other publishing products of the Spitsbergen publishing house in the Spitsbergen-Shop.
Norwegens arktischer Norden (1): Spitzbergen
Photobook: Norway's arctic islands. The text in this book is German. [shop url="https://shop.spitzbergen.de/en/polar-books/70-norwegens-arktischer-norden-1-aerial-arctic-9783937903262.html"] ← Back
Lofoten, Jan Mayen and Spitsbergen from the air - Photobook: Norway's arctic islands. The text in this book is German, but there is very little text, so I am sure that you will enjoy it regardless which languages you read (or not).
The companion book for the Svalbardhytter poster. The poster visualises the diversity of Spitsbergen‘s huts and their stories in a range of Arctic landscapes. The book tells the stories of the huts in three languages.
Comprehensive guidebook about Spitsbergen. Background (wildlife, plants, geology, history etc.), practical information including travelling seasons, how to travel, description of settlements, routes and regions.
Join an exciting journey with dog, skis and tent through the wintery wastes of East Greenland! We were five guys and a dog when we started in Ittoqqortoormiit, the northernmost one of two settlements on Greenland’s east coast.
12 postcards which come in a beautifully designed tray. Beautiful images from South Georgia across Antarctica from the Antarctic Peninsula to the Ross Sea and up to Macquarie Island and Campbell Island.