Due to global warming and thawing, the animals that live in the Arctic have been approaching human settlements, in addition to increasing cannibalism among them.
One of these areas is the archipelago of the Svalbard Islands, in Norway, where the largest predator in the area, the polar bear, has more and more encounters with humans. The last one was tragic: a bear this week killed a man in Longyearbyen, one of the main towns in the area.
The animal was shot shortly after attacking and killing the victim, and found dead near the local airport.
In the past 50 years, only five fatal polar bear attacks had been recorded. The last one took place in 2011, when a 17-year-old British student was killed by the attack of this animal, which also caused four injuries.
In Svalbard (or Spitsbergen) it is recommended to carry a rifle when leaving urban centers. According to a 2015 count, the archipelago is home to 1,000 polar bears, a species protected since 1973.
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