A polar bear has attacked a campsite in Sveasletta across a fjord from Longyearbyen (the main settlement in the Arctic Svalbard archipelago), injuring a French tourist. Authorities flew to the area in a helicopter and shots were fired at the polar bear, which was scared away from the area, badly injured, and consequently put down after a professional assessment. The French woman, in her 40s, suffered slight injuries to an arm and was flown by helicopter to the hospital in Longyearbyen. An estimated 20,000-25,000 polar bears live in the Arctic and Svalbard is dotted with warnings about polar bears: visitors that sleep outdoors receive stern warnings from authorities, as at least five people have been killed by polar bears since the 1970s (the last time in 2020, when a 38-year-old Dutch man was killed). Read more on Svaldbardposten.no
