PETITION CLOSED

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  1. Signatures
    556 out of 1,500
    Petitioning
    1. Prime Minister of Iceland (+ 1 other)
      Petitioning
      close
      • Prime Minister of Iceland (Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir)
      • Minister for the Environment (Svandís Svavarsdóttir)
  2. Created By
    Vladimir Shamanov
    Moscow, Russian Federation
About this Petition Petition Letter

On January 27th, with Government's approval, hunters in Iceland have killed another polar bear, only a few hours after it came to the shores of Iceland. No other course of action was ever considered. Yet, polar bears in Iceland are not unexpected. These poor animals come to Iceland because of the shortage of breeding grounds, due to the melting polar ice. Polar bears were frequently spotted in Iceland in 19th century, but the last two polar bears came to Iceland in 2008--following a fifty years gap. Both polar bears were killed.

The decision to kill polar bears were approved by the Government, because animals were considered dangerous, animals were not in danger of extinction, and the transportation costs were too high. This all is completely wrong. First, polar bears would attack only when provoked by humans. According to Polar Bears International, only 10 people were killed in Canada and the US, and only 19 people were killed in Russia--through the whole recorded history. No Icelander was ever killed by a polar bear. Second, while the polar bears are not classified as "in danger of extinction", all counties where poalr bears dwell--Canada, Norway, Russia, USA, Greenland (Denmark)--classify polar bears as vulnerable and take actions to preserve these animals. Third, because polar bears come to Iceland only occasionally, the costs of transportation are not that high: Greenland, for example, is only 1.5 hours of flight away.

Furthermore, the population of Iceland is only 300,000 and most of it is concentrated in the South, near the capital, while the North, where polar bears were spotted, is sparcely populated. Northern shores of Iceland could be, in fact, turned into a polar bear preserve. This would be the most accessible place to see polar bears in the wild and could attract tourists from all over the world, bringing revenues and preserving the animals.

Iceland is a very progressive country and to learn of such acts of unnecessary violance was absolutely shocking. Please, sign this petition to tell Icelandic Government that killing polar bears is not acceptable.

If you want to learn more, read this article in The Guardian from 2008, when two polar bears were killed: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jun/05/animalwelfare.animalbehaviour

And another one: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/world/iceland-police-shoot-second-greenland-polar-bear/story-e6frev00-1111116666665

 

Recent Signatures

Prevent Future Murders of Polar Bears

Dear Minister,

I am writing to say that I am outraged at how irresponsible Your
government is in their decisions about the poor animals who come to
Iceland. There are only 20,000 polar bears left in the world. And
while the people around the globe act to preserve these amazing
animals for the future generations, Icelandic authorities give
permission to kill the poor animal.
This January, after only few hours since bear's arrival, the animal was brutally murdered.

And this is not the first case, so You should have prepared a course
of actions that is more acceptable than violence. Furthermore, Iceland
is not a densely populated country, so unless the bear came ashore in
Reykjavik or its satellites, it presents no immediate danger. The police should have monitored bear's actions and responded only in cases of immediate danger and even then
limit the actions to non-lethal.

The Arctic Ice is melting and You can expect more bears to come. I
join the concerned public and demand that You take actions to deal
with other polar bears peacefully!

It is not as expensive as critics say: many less developed countries take
actions to save vulnnerable animals. And even while Iceland is in difficult financial situation, I am sure that after a public announcement, the people of Iceland, Europe, and the rest of the world would put together the sum necessary to send the polar bear back home or give them a new home in Iceland.

Killing polar bears in such manner is huge disgrace to Iceland, Icelandic Government, and The Ministry for the Environment.

I sincerely hope that this letter will be taken seriously.

[Your name]

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