The melting of ice in the Arctic has resulted in the change of the environment for some of the animals. An animal that is well-known to be affected by the phenomenon badly is the polar bear.
Polar bears’ have been facing challenges in finding food when ice in the Arctic melt. Their hunting area has been affected as the meting of ice has caused them to hardly access the seals for food.
It was reported that a 38-year-old man, Johan Jacobus Kootte was attacked by a polar bear. The Dutch worker was dragged by a polar bear while he was sleeping at around 4 am.
The attack happened in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, a remote Norwegian island. A picture of the attack shows his green tent to be torn apart and a sleeping mat has been pulled yards from the tent. The local newspaper said there was blood spatter that was photographed near to the scene.
The man was believed to be alive when the rescuers arrived to save him. However, he was badly injured and died shortly after he arrived at the hospital. There were six other campers at the side that had not been attacked by the starving bear, said the local newspaper.
Svalbard has a strict rule in protecting polar bears. Shooting polar bears is not permitted unless it is the last resort. The bears’ habitat has been disturbed because of the declining sea ice. It is believed that about 3,000 people and up to 1,000 polar bears are living the area.
Before this, polar bears would rarely attack humans for food, but because of the changes in their habitat, they’re preying on humans because of starvation.
Source: mirror.co.uk