Friday, August 05, 2011

WORLD - Polar Bear Kills 1, Injures 4

"Polar bear kills British boy in Arctic" BBC News 8/5/2011

A polar bear has mauled a 17-year-old British boy to death in the Arctic and injured four other UK tourists.

Horatio Chapple, from Wiltshire, was with 12 others on a British Schools Exploring Society trip near a glacier on the Norwegian island of Svalbard.

The four who were hurt - two severely - included two leaders of the trip. They have been flown to Tromsoe in Norway where their condition is stable.

BSES chairman Edward Watson described Mr Chapple as a "fine young man".

Mr Watson said the society had been in touch with his family - who live near Salisbury - and had offered "our utmost sympathy".

He said: "Horatio was a fine young man, hoping to go on to read medicine after school. By all accounts he would've made an excellent doctor."

He said the society's executive director was traveling to Svalbard, adding: "We are continuing to gather information on this tragedy."
Helicopter scrambled

The attack, near the Von Post glacier about 25 miles (40km) from Longyearbyen, took place early on Friday.

The group contacted the Svalbard authorities using a satellite phone and a helicopter was sent to rescue them.

The BSES, a youth development charity, said the injured men were trip leaders Michael Reid and Andrew Ruck, who is from Brighton but lives in Edinburgh, and trip members Patrick Flinders from Jersey, and Scott Smith.

They suffered head injuries but are now stable, Norwegian authorities said.

The father of Patrick Flinders, Terry, said he believed the polar bear had crossed a trip wire and into his son's tent.

"According to the doctor and the other people Patrick was trying to fend off the polar bear by hitting it on the nose - why, I don't know, but he did and... the polar bear attacked him with his right paw across his face and his head and his arm," he said.
Extremely dangerous

Those worried about their relatives should call 0047 7902 4305 or 0047 7902 4302.

The UK Foreign Office said the British ambassador was leading a consular team to Tromsoe to provide assistance to the expedition group.

Lars Erik Alfheim, vice-governor of Svalbard, said polar bears were common in the area.

"These days when the ice comes in and out like it does right now, it's not unlikely to encounter polar bears. Polar bears are extremely dangerous and it's an animal that can attack without any notice."

The BSES group of 80 people were on a trip which began on 23 July and was scheduled to run until 28 August.

A blog on the group's website dated 27 July described polar bear sightings from their camp where they had been marooned due to "an unprecedented amount of ice in the fjord".

"Despite this everyone was in good spirits because we encountered a polar bear floating on the ice, this time we were lucky enough to borrow a kind Norwegian guide's telescope to see it properly," it said.

"After that experience I can say for sure that everyone dreamt of polar bears that night."

Earlier this year the governor's office warned people about bear attacks after several were spotted near Longyearbyen.

Polar bears are one of the largest land carnivores, reaching up to 8ft (2.5m) and weighing 800kg (125st).

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