The incident occurred on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. Local residents notified the services when they saw it a man climbs onto an ice floe on which a walrus is lying. There is disturbance of wild animals in the archipelago against the law.
The Environmental Protection Act states that movement around Svalbard must be done in a way that does not disturb the local fauna and flora, including polar bears, seals, reindeer and whales.
The Pole approached the walrus. Financial consequences
According to the BBC, prosecutor Magnus Rindal Fredriksen said that several employees of the local governor observed the event, which took place very close to Longyearbyen – the capital of the archipelago – at the bottom of the fjord.
The man stayed captured and taken to the governor's office. It turned out that the tourist had it Polish nationality. He was fined 12,500 Norwegian kroner, i.e. over PLN 4,500.
In an interview with the police prosecutor, the BBC asked him about the reason for such action. According to the prosecutor, the Pole approached the walrus because “he wanted a good photo“.
Walruses in Svalbard were protected in 1952, when it was observed that their population had dropped dramatically, and only a few hundred were left in the archipelago. Since the restrictions were introduced, the population has started to grow, but still remains on the Norwegian red list.
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