Skiers shot polar bear on Svalbard
April 19, 2013
Two skiers with dogs said they felt forced to shoot a polar bear on Svalbard Thursday evening when it ran towards them while they were out trekking over a wide-open stretch of snow and ice. They viewed it as an attack, and shot the bear at close range. The shooting occurred at Isbukta, on the [...]
Rats on the rise in springtime
April 15, 2013
After a cold winter, the common brown rats with a name dubiously tied to Norway (Rattus norvegicus, or the Norwegian rat) are making a seasonal reappearance around the country. It’s almost become a rite of spring, however unwelcome. “Where folks are living, you’ll probably find the brown rats,” Anne Karin Hufthammer at the University of [...]
Polar bear shot during break-in
March 25, 2013
An overly curious and determined polar bear made the mistake of his life when he tried to break into a hytte (cabin) on Svalbard over the weekend. Attempts by the couple inside to scare off the bear failed, and they felt they had no choice but to shoot to kill. “They tried throwing lighted candles [...]
Film team fined on Svalbard
March 19, 2013
A film team working for the BBC on Norway’s Arctic archipelago of Svalbard is being fined NOK 50,000 (nearly USD 10,000) for allegedly disturbing a polar bear mother and her two cubs. Local officials are concerned about the increasing number of film crews, both Norwegian and from abroad, that are perhaps too keen to film [...]
Billionaire leaves fortune to animals
March 5, 2013
One of Norway’s wealthiest real estate moguls, Dag S Stiansen, has set up a foundation for animal welfare that will inherit his entire fortune when he and wife die. He told newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN) that animals have some better qualities and abilities than people do. “If you’re kind to animals and treat them with [...]
Sheep mysteriously drowned on northern island
January 24, 2013
Nearly an entire flock of wild sheep that roamed on an island in northern Norway, just across the Vestfjord from the scenic Lofoten peninsula, were found drowned late last week, and no one seems to know why. Local sheep ranchers are calling the discovery of 104 sheep cadavers a “tragedy” and a “mystery.” The mass [...]
Wolf pair marking territory in Oslo
January 11, 2013
Wildlife researchers had some sensational news for Oslo residents this week: They’re almost certain that a pair of wolves have been marking territory this winter in Oslo’s eastern forest known as Østmarka. A litter of pups may result later this spring. It would be the the first time a pack of wolves has established itself [...]
Island overrun by moose
October 26, 2012
A small island off Norway’s northern coastline of Helgeland has been all but overrun by moose, who now outnumber residents by two to one. Local newspaper Brønnøysunds Avis said that parents now fear for the safety of their small children. Moose are generally shy animals, but they’re extremely large and can become aggressive if provoked. [...]
Shamed fur farms likely to survive
October 25, 2012
More shocking photos of sick and injured animals at several Norwegian fur farms have set off demands once again that the country’s fur industry be phased out. Disagreement within the government coalition, however, along with support for the industry from several of the non-socialist parties in Parliament, suggest Norway’s often-shamed fur business will nonetheless survive. [...]
Government pushes own trade agenda
October 5, 2012
Just as Norway’s government is sparking anger in Brussels over its intention to boost important tariffs on meat and cheese, it’s also fighting a ban on the sale of its own seal products within the European Union. Norway is gearing up to defend the complaint it lodged with the World Trade Organization (WTO), part of [...]
Moose and lobster now living dangerously
October 4, 2012
Among the rites of a Norwegian autumn are the traditional hunts that take place in the fields, the mountains and even the sea. This year’s moose hunt is firmly underway, for example, while traps have been set along the coast to catch the ultimate underwater treasure. In Trysil, the mountain community in eastern Norway that [...]
Bears make news up north
August 11, 2012
Bears dominated local headlines in both Nord-Troms and Finnmark last week, after one got shot and a family of others starred in a real-life version of an old fairy tale. First came the dramatic news of a bear that threatened local folks and, not least, their flocks of sheep in the small community of Skardalen, [...]
Oncoming traffic, Finnmark-style
August 10, 2012
PHOTO FEATURE: It was one of those special Norwegian moments: Driving along the two-lane E6 highway in northern Norway, bound for the city of Alta, came not the customary oncoming cars or trucks but instead, a small herd of reindeer. The encounter occurred, as they usually do, rather suddenly. While rhapsodizing over the spectacular scenery [...]
Local wolf wandered far
July 13, 2012
A wolf that was spotted several times in the Oslo area last winter and spring has since wandered several hundred kilometers to the north, according to a newsletter from Rovdata, which monitors predators in Norway. The wolf was spotted by several people in the forest on Oslo’s east side known as Østmarka last winter, also in [...]
Reindeer plagued by darts
July 13, 2012
Someone apparently started using some wandering reindeer in northern Norway as a dart board last week. Police have been called in to investigate after two male reindeer started acting unusually aggressive towards children, reports newspaper Finnmark Dagblad. The mayor of Hammerfest himself, Alf Einar Jakobsen of the Labour Party, also went out to see the [...]
