A polar bear attacks German researchers in Greenland
Polar bears are increasingly approaching humans dangerously in Greenland. This is happening unusually frequently and early in the year. On the island of Traill Ø, a bear attacks a German researcher. The man has to be taken to the hospital.
A German researcher was attacked by a polar bear in Greenland. As the Greenlandic radio station KNR reported, the man was attacked by the predator last Friday on the eastern Greenlandic island of Traill Ø. The Greenlandic police confirmed the attack.
The German was then taken to the Mestersvig station and later to a hospital in Iceland, a police spokeswoman said. His condition was initially critical but was described as stable the day after the attack.
The man was reportedly part of a German research team that was on the island. No other team members were harmed. To which institution the scientists belong is unclear. According to the Icelandic online newspaper Vísir, the injured person was taken to the Landspítali University Hospital in Reykjavik. The polar bear was shot after the attack.
WWF dispatches bear patrol
So far this summer, unusually many polar bears have been near humans and settlements in Greenland. Recently, two young and emaciated male bears had to be shot within a few days after they approached humans dangerously in the settlement of Ittoqqortoormiit. One of them was on its way to a football pitch where children were playing. Ittoqqortoormiit is about 200 kilometers south of Traill Ø.
The bear patrol of the conservation organization WWF started its work early due to the two incidents. The main task of the patrol is to keep an eye on the predators and, among other things, to prevent them from entering the settlement in search of food using rubber bullets. They are normally in operation between the start of the new school year in mid-August and the start of the bear hunt in January.
The bear attack occurred on the island of Traill Ø, which is located in Greenland. WWF has responded to the increase in polar bear incidents by starting their bear patrol earlier than usual in Greenland.
