Archive · 16 Aug 2026
Man Fined for Waking Sleeping Polar Bear With Ship Horn
A man was on a boat near Svalbard, a group of far-north islands in the Arctic.
He saw a polar bear sleeping on the shore.
He wanted to see the bear move, so he sounded the boat's very loud foghorn.
The noise scared the bear, which woke up and quickly ran away.
Svalbard's rules say people must not scare or bother polar bears because they are protected animals.
Polar bears have been protected in Svalbard since 1972.
The man had to pay a big fine of 50,000 Norwegian kroner, which is about 4.5 to 5 lakh rupees.
He admitted what he did and agreed to pay the fine.
Officials remind visitors to keep a safe distance from wildlife so animals do not get stressed.
In 2024, another tourist was also fined for getting too close to a walrus.
A boat operator was fined 50,000 Norwegian kroner (roughly Rs 4.5-5 lakh) for waking a sleeping polar bear with a ship's foghorn.
The incident occurred earlier this month in a fjord off Svalbard, a remote Norwegian archipelago about 620 miles from the North Pole.
A person aboard the vessel deliberately sounded the foghorn to make the resting bear move, and the startled animal fled.
Svalbard Governor Lars Fause took legal action under the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act, which makes it illegal to needlessly disturb polar bears.
The offender accepted the violation and agreed to pay the fine, but officials did not reveal the person's name or nationality.
- Who
- An unnamed boat operator, fined by Lars Fause, the Governor of Svalbard.
- What
- Fined 50,000 Norwegian kroner (approximately Rs 4.5-5 lakh) for deliberately sounding a vessel's foghorn and waking a sleeping polar bear.
- When
- Earlier this month.
- Where
- Off the coast of Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago located about 620 miles from the North Pole.
- Why
- The action needlessly disturbed a protected polar bear, violating the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act.
- Fine amount
- 50,000 Norwegian kroner (approximately Rs 4.5-5 lakh)
- Location
- Fjord off the coast of Svalbard, about 620 miles from the North Pole
- Offence
- Deliberately sounding a foghorn to wake a sleeping polar bear
- Governing law
- Svalbard Environmental Protection Act
- Authority
- Lars Fause, Governor of Svalbard
- Protection status
- Polar bears protected in Svalbard since 1972
- Offender's response
- Accepted the violation and agreed to pay the fine
- Related incident
- Tourist fined 11,500 kroner (£900) in 2024 for getting too close to a walrus