Iceland cops shoot dead a polar bear after it swam 200 miles to what the poor thing thought

[bean fidhleir]

would be safety.

"A polar bear that swam more than 200 miles in near-freezing waters to reach Iceland was shot on arrival in case it posed a threat to humans.

The bear, thought to be the first to reach the country in at least 15 years, was killed after local police claimed it was a danger to humans, triggering an outcry from animal lovers. Police claimed it was not possible to sedate the bear.

...

The cops' claim was disputed by "the chief vet in the town of Blönduó, Egill Steingrímsson, who said he had the drugs necessary to immobilise the bear in the boot of his car. 'If the narcotics gun would have been sent by plane, it would have arrived within an hour,' he said. 'They could keep tabs on the bear for that long.'"


http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jun/05/animalwelfare.animalbehaviour


Disgusting.