Norway Warns Ships: Do Not Sound Your Horns... Polar Bears Are Sleeping

A fine of 4,550 euros was imposed on an individual sailing in Svalbard, in the Arctic Circle, for waking a sleeping polar bear by sounding the ship’s foghorn, Norwegian authorities announced on Thursday.

The incident occurred this month while the vessel was navigating the Northeast Passage in Svalbard, approximately 1,000 kilometers from the North Pole.

The regional governor stated in a press release that “passengers apparently saw a polar bear sleeping on the ground.”

He added that “one person on board sounded the foghorn, which woke the bear, causing it to move to another location.”

The act will cost the perpetrator 50,000 Norwegian kroner, after he accepted the fine issued by the governor’s office.

Polar bears have been a protected species in Svalbard since 1972, and local regulations prohibit “disturbing them without cause, luring them, or pursuing them.”