Polar Bears in Iceland (1 Viewer)

[JTweedie]

Vic: "Hey Bob, isn't it great to be here in Iceland, watching the fantastic King Eiders?"
Bob: "Yeah, but I'm more concerned about that Polar Bear that's coming right for you."
Vic: "Nonsense. There are no Polar Bears here in south Iceland."

When I was younger I used to wonder whether Polar Bears were ever found in Iceland. Some articles I'd read suggested that they MAY turn up, but the evidence was inconclusive. Now I saw this post on Bluesky that suggests they've been seen all over Iceland more than you might expect. 600 bears have been counted to date, and the last one was in September 2024, so they're still visiting.

Hildur Knútsdóttir (@hildur.bsky.social)

Since nobody asked, here is a map showing where polar bears have been found in Iceland after drifting over from Greenland on icebergs.

bsky.app

Late 19th century had a big spike in sightings but there may be many reasons for this. This chart of frequency of sightings is from the article I link to above.

 

[Farnboro John]

They just shoot them on arrival of course. Can't have humans put at risk by increasingly endangered wild animals.

John

 

[GHOV02]

Never seen one there myself! Thanks for sharing..

 

[Edward]

I've seen one in northern Iceland (June 2008). I have a book at home about historical occurrences in Iceland. I think the big spikes in arrivals were when the sea froze between Iceland and Greenland, most recently around 1918.

 

[Ignatius]

Greenland being now threatened with invasion there will likely be more polar bears arriving in Iceland - seeking political asylumn.