Tourist fined for approaching walrus in Norway - BBC News

The man went near the animal on an ice floe near the world's northernmost settlement in Svalbard.

1 day agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, The Governor of SvalbardBy Nadia RagozhinaBBC NewsA tourist visiting the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard has been fined more than $1,100 (£900) for getting too close to a walrus.

Members of the public alerted officals when they saw a man going onto an ice floe to approach the animal.

It's against the law to approach the wildlife on Svalbard in a way that disturbs them.

The incident happened near Longyearbyen - one of the world's northernmost settlements.

The Svalbard Environment Act stipulates that all traffic on the archipelago must take place in a way that does not lead to unnecessary disturbance of local wildlife - which include polar bears, seals, whales, reindeer and arctic foxes.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68911648

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