2011 Svalbard polar bear attack
{{Short description|Bear attack in Svalbard, Norway}}
The 2011 Svalbard polar bear attack was an attack by a presumed starving polar bear on a group of university students and their guides. The bear killed one person, injured four others, and was then shot.
Event
On 5 August 2011, a polar bear in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard attacked a party of 13 university students, who were undertaking an expedition organised by the British Schools Exploring Society (BSES), and were camped near the Von Post glacier, 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the settlement of Longyearbyen.{{cite web|author=Matt Walker |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14415592 |title=Polar bear kills British boy in Arctic |publisher= |work=BBC News |date=5 August 2011 |access-date=2 March 2012}} The bear was reported as being starving and emaciated.{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1035888--bear-that-mauled-british-teen-was-starving |title=Bear that mauled British teen was starving |work=thestar.com |date=7 August 2011 |access-date=2 March 2012}} 17-year-old Horatio Chapple, a pupil of Eton College and grandson of former Governor of Gibraltar Sir John Chapple, was killed in the attack.{{cite web|author=Jeevan Vasagar |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/aug/08/polar-bear-attack-investigation-begins |title=Polar bear attack investigation begins |work=The Guardian |date=8 August 2011 |access-date=2 March 2012}} Four others were hurt, three seriously, and all were flown to Tromsø on mainland Norway for treatment.{{cite web |url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23976202-polar-bear-kills-adventure-trip-boy.do |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120914044454/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23976202-polar-bear-kills-adventure-trip-boy.do |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 September 2012 |title=Family tribute to bear attack boy |work=Evening Standard (London) |date=5 August 2011 |access-date=2 March 2012 }} The bear was shot dead by one of the expedition's leaders, Michael "Spike" Reid, who himself suffered severe head and facial injuries.{{cite web|author1=Harriet Alexander |author2=Richard Gray|author3=Adam Lushe|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/norway/8686910/How-Arctic-leader-shot-dead-killer-polar-bear.html |title=How Arctic leader shot dead killer polar bear |work=Daily Telegraph |date=7 August 2011 |access-date=2 March 2012}}
The BSES party of 80 members had planned their trip to run from 23 July to 28 August, but it was cut short after the incident.[http://www.bses.org.uk/ BSES website]. Accessed 8 August 2011
Aftermath
Police later disclosed that the organisers of the expedition had not assigned a night watchman, because of dense fog on the night of the incident, and that during the emergency their gun failed to fire four times because its safety catch was engaged.{{cite web |author1=James Orr|author2=Richard Alleyne|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/norway/8687292/Norway-polar-bear-attack-failings-that-left-Horatio-Chapple-at-bears-mercy.html |title=Norway polar bear attack: failings that left Horatio Chapple at bear's mercy |work=Daily Telegraph |date=7 August 2011 |access-date=2 March 2012}} Leaders of such expeditions are advised that camps should be protected by trip wires that detonate deterrent explosives, lookouts through the night, or guard dogs. Of those options, the camp used trip wires, but they failed to trigger.{{cite web |url=http://www.sysselmannen.no/hovedEnkel.aspx?m=45609 |title=Notification and Insurance |date=13 March 2008 |access-date=2 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328124524/http://www.sysselmannen.no/hovedEnkel.aspx?m=45609 |archive-date=28 March 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}
The Sysselmann (local authority) requires a risk assessment for any camping trip such as this, which must then be approved by the Sysselmann.Governor of Svalbard {{cite web |url=http://www.sysselmannen.no/hovedEnkel.aspx?m=45609 |title=Notification and Insurance |date=13 March 2008 |access-date=2 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328124524/http://www.sysselmannen.no/hovedEnkel.aspx?m=45609 |archive-date=28 March 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}
In September 2011, it was announced that a high court judge would chair an inquiry into the death.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-14865296 |title=Judge to hold inquiry into fatal polar bear attack |publisher= |work=BBC News |date=10 September 2011 |access-date=2 March 2012}}
In March 2012, following an inquiry by Norwegian investigators, officials ruled that the attack could have been prevented if the expedition members had stayed in cabins instead of tents. However, since this additional safety precaution was not required by law, it was ruled that the expedition leaders would not face prosecution.
Chapple's parents launched a charity initiative, Horatio's Garden,{{Cite web |title=BBC One - Lifeline, Horatio's Garden |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00104dy |access-date=2022-05-09 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}} in his memory. The charity has built six gardens in spinal injury centres across the United Kingdom, with more in development.{{Cite web |title=Spinal injury charity Horatio's Garden comes to Northern Ireland |url=https://mtb-law.co.uk/insights/spinal-injury-charity-horatios-garden-comes-to-northern-ireland/ |access-date=2022-05-09 |website=McCartan Turkington Breen {{!}} Solicitors {{!}} Belfast {{!}} Northern Ireland |language=en}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.spitsbergen-svalbard.com/2011/08 Spitsbergen-svalbard.com] with information about the polar bear attack
{{Svalbard topics}}