The Great Beyond

A "250 kg killing machine"? A truly well written piece of nature observation . . . Hardly.

As people much better informed than the above author have already commented, there were humane options available.

We all have an obligation to the natural world that sustains us, whether we carry a gun or a pen.

The above author comes up short in that obligation.

Your are addressing the polar bear with "it" or "beast". Wrong! The polar bear in Iceland (and not only!) is "him". "It" is the stupid policeman. Animals became lately more human than the humans. It is a shame for that stupid race. A shame for every one of us. That happens when you've got bullets instead of brains.

I am a polar bear and I want to thank you for the help of spreading the knowledge of our plight. We bears do not like being hunted. Thank you
Skii the Polar bear

Hats off to the Icelanders. I get so sick of the bleeding heart shiesskopf's that seem to think that every f'ing animal on earth has more reason to be here than us humans....makes me wanna puke, I have lived and worked in remote areas of the world, and let me inform the pinheads that 'no' carnivorous wild animal that
can get get an edge on a human has any sentiments about the human....we are meat for dinner. I have been hunted by and have had to on occasion 'kill' an animal for my own safety....to the metro twits who pass judgement but have never ventured from the safety of their condos, if you were 'stuck' alone in the wilderness and I don't mean on a friggin eco-tour, you would soon rethink your position on the animals.

Polar bears are endangered. Why does it seemingly surprise people in a country called Iceland, that, duh, a polar bear might show up sometime, even if rarely? What a magnificent creature--wasted. The person who destroyed such magnificence is a blot on mankind.

Blot on mankind Laura Rose? I think you are being too kind. We have all seen those cute cuddly looking polar bears, whereas who on earth has seen any Icelanders? Icelanders haven't made the endangered list as yet. What difference would it have made if the polar bear dealt with a few Icelanders? I think, at the very least, that person should be blotted out. In fact maybe all Icelanders should be blotted out - fed to the polar bears and Iceland be declared a polar bear sanctuary. Wouldn't that be a lovely way to save the polar bear?

He was Starving. He is 400-500 pounds underweight. You can see his RIBS through his coat. Never have I seen such a starved bear. He had swam / floated / endured further than anyone I know can walk. Why didn't you help him? Why didn't you net him? Why didn't you FEED him? There is a day of reckoning coming. From Racehorses to Tigers to polar bears - it is coming. Cruelty - just that - has a way of returning back.....

I really don't know who you are addressing those questions to - but I'll assume it's me.

I didn't help him, net him or feed him because I was on the other side of the world when it happened. The people who were there didn't do what they did lightly. They did it because the alternative was endangering the lives of the inhabitants there. They were on the spot as thus could assess the situation, which neither you or I are qualified to do because we were not there, nor do we have the expertise or the tools wherewith to net a polar bear. Shooting a bear dead doesn't amount to cruelty.

I am curious however about your threat about the day of reckoning. Who is going to deal out the reckoning? And what exactly will be the punishment? Will it be eternal torture in hell? If so do you think that is a good reason to help polar bears rather than just ordinary human kindness?

It would be interesting to see what you STUPID citydwellers that havent gotthe slightest clue about WILD nature. You are full of stupid propaganda from Greenpeace (who by the way care more about filling their bank accounts than saving nature) or some other sentimental idiot who doesnt know what he or she is talking about. It is so easy to judge others from the safety of your silly condos and gas gussling cars. You would do better to stop driving and buying all that stuff you DONT NEED and save nature that way and stop whining about what others should do

It was the best option to shoot him,they won't pat on your back when they'r hungry.
It's cruel, but still the best option, everything else is not logical. no plan and no good tranquilizers around.
Starving animal with 50-60 onlookers around before the police arrived..make a decision, you don't know who is trekking, you have fog...hence..if you see one, don't call the media..

"I think, at the very least, that person should be blotted out. In fact maybe all Icelanders should be blotted out - fed to the polar bears and Iceland be declared a polar bear sanctuary."

So a few people decide to kill the polar bear and you turn against the whole nation? How naiive.
Let me tell you, I think most of us are against this decision made by the police. There are a few idiots in every nation, but it doesn't mean you should give up on everyone! Try getting your facts straight before insulting a whole nation, which is on the verge of being as idiotic as saying 2 plus 2 is 10.

Another bear was found in Iceland yesterday the 16th of June. The authorities seemed to get the point from all the protest to the killing of the June 5th bear. However, after a failed attempt to sedate the new bear, it was shot and killed today the 17th of June. I live in Iceland and this is just pathetic. But Its also important to note that this is a country that still kills Whales.

Alexandra, I was attempting satire, but I see I have miserably failed. I am not British, but I could possibly have inherited some British sense of humour, which is very difficult for other people to understand and so they assume (with some justification) that the British are a little mad (some more so than others).

When I asked "What difference would it have made if the polar bear dealt with a few Icelanders?" - I was attempting sarcasm. Little did I realise how many people (including you apparently) actually agreed with that statement. I realise that people in harsher northern climes have to be very practical to survive the elements. They say what they mean and mean what they say. If you said something like "I feel I could eat a whale" in an Icelandic restaurant you would probably have one served up sizzling hot.

To fully understand British humour I guess you would have to play cricket. The British at some time in their history were champions at most games. That was because they invented most of them and beat everyone else, till others got to know the rules. But surely a people who invented cricket deserved to rule the world. The origin of cricket has been lost in antiquity but one theory has it as follows: In the olden days adulterers were stoned to death. As people became more civilised they were given a bat to defend themselves. This was not only more humane, but proved vastly more entertaining. From thence evolved cricket.

So in "Icelandic speak" this is my stand on the polar bear. I deeply regret that it was destroyed. However I feel that under the circumstances, as it might have been a danger to human life, the right decision was made.

I do not insult or condemn a whole nation. I do not condemn the people or person on the spot for making the call after judging the situation. You can rest easy - I don't really think that all Icelanders should be fed to the polar bears. It may not even be a good thing so far as conserving polar bears are concerned. That great conservationist - the Emperor Nero - tried to conserve lions when their natural prey was so cruelly destroyed by man. He tried to keep them going by feeding them Christians. It didn't work. The world is teeming with Christians whereas lions sadly have died out in all the territories of the erstwhile Roman Empire.

Tragic
It’s tragic that arctic regions are changing rapidly and with it the wildlife habitats are undergoing major if not drastic transformations that are not in favor of animals living there. It’s tragic that the very way of life of polar bears (and others) is being threatened due to global warming caused by anthropogenic activities. It is tragic that polar bears get stranded on drifting ice, starve to death, drown or …. It’s even more tragic when they survive against all odds only to be shot because of our fear and inability to respond compassionately and act ethically.

Indeed, a polar bear is a powerful animal but not a killing machine. The latter title belongs to Man, and those who like to argue this observation need to open the pages on mankind’s history and read on - wars and more killings in the name of-? Indeed, a close encounter with a polar bear would be/is unnerving… But not a cause for panic. Caution, respect, clear thinking and compassion are needed. In the tragic death of this polar bear, fear was the determinant factor. Fear does not justify the killing of another being!

Iceland officials need to come up with a better way of dealing with such ‘awkward’ situations. A team of experts (properly trained people with necessary tools and equipment) must be established. It is possible to humanely capture and handle a stressed polar bear who then must be cared for and returned to his/her natural habitat. Educating locals on appropriate behavior is also necessary. To contain a potentially ‘dangerous’ situation by bullet(s) is NOT an option. Fear and ill preparedness (not fog itself) resulted in the tragic death of an exhausted and starving being. It was an easy way out (for people).

To avoid such future hideous acts, Iceland officials must be prepared. Of course, this becomes a matter of monetary logistics and thus not so straight forward. But where there is a will there is a way. Let’s bring international help and effort to the taskforce. Let’s get the financial support and manpower to execute a plan that's beneficial to all, the polar bears and people.

Killing AIN’T the solution and cannot be seen as the correct, acceptable, or justifiable way out of the mess mankind created. We must learn to live as the thinking, ethical, and most of all compassionate beings we ought to be rather than the killing machines that we are!

"Let’s get the financial support and manpower to execute a plan.." Good idea - how much are you contributing? "Fear does not justify the killing of another being!" - Just curious - are you afraid of cockroaches? Do you kill them or condone their killing by others? Cockroaches haven't been known to kill humans. Here a compassionate woman tries to pet a polar bear leading to an "awkward situation" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvooqbW9dz4

It just disgust me how people can just shoot an animal who is trying to swim to better ground. They say to protect the public. They can do better than that. Disgusting. Let them try and swim to saftey and when they just about to reach, why not shoot and kill them.

"Let them try and swim to saftey and when they just about to reach, why not shoot and kill them." - Because that would be illegal. Besides being illegal, it is immoral to murder another human being. Only a person without any conscience or ethics would suggest that you murder another human being and in such a cruel and sadistic manner. The suggestion is worthy of such sadistic monsters as Hitler or Pol Pot.