The tourist on Svalbard probably regrets bitterly that he chose to approach the dangerous walrus.
Friday 26 April at 20:26
On Wednesday evening, a tourist went out on an ice floe in Adventbuka near Longyearbyen in Svalbard.
– The head of state moved out and got control of the man. As a result of the incident, the man was fined NOK 12,500, writes Sysselmesteren.
The fine came for a breach of the Svalbard Environment Act § 73 second paragraph, which states that traffic on Svalbard must not disturb wildlife unnecessarily.
– Having said that, it is clear that moving so close to a walrus lying on the ice can also be dangerous, says police attorney Magnus Rindal Fredriksen to VG.
Fredriksen says that it is not often that they have cases regarding disturbance of walruses.
– The head of state took it to mean that he was approaching the walrus to take pictures of it, says Fredriksen.
The mayor encourages everyone to keep a good distance from the walrus so that it is not disturbed or that there is a danger to people.
The Governor was contacted by the public, and parts of the incident were also observed by the Governor’s staff.
The tourist accepted the proposal.
