A person on a vessel in Norway has received a large fine after using a ship's foghorn to wake up a sleeping polar bear.
The incident happened earlier this month in Svalbard, an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. People on board the ship spotted a polar bear sleeping on land near a fjord. A person on the vessel then used the ship's foghorn. The loud noise woke the bear and caused it to move to another place.
Local officials fined the individual 50,000 Norwegian kroner (about £3,890) for disturbing the animal. The person agreed to pay the fine.
Under local laws in Svalbard, it is illegal to needlessly disturb, attract, or follow polar bears. Polar bears have been a protected species in the region since 1972. The Svalbard Environment Act protects all local wildlife, including polar bears, seals, whales, reindeer, and arctic foxes, requiring all visitors and travel to avoid disturbing animals.