Tourist fined for getting too close to Walrus - Beritaja

A tourer has been fined NOK 12,500 Norwegian Kroner (£900) for approaching a walrus in The Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard.

The authorities said The man went retired onto an crystal floe connected Wednesday and "disturbed a walrus that was lying connected The ice".

They said members of The nationalist saw him attack The mammal and reported him to The section governor, and that "parts of The incident were besides observed by The governor's employees".

There is simply a rule in Svalbard which stipulates group must behaviour themselves in a measurement which does not lead to unnecessary disturbance of wildlife.

The tourer was subsequently brought to The governor's office, wherever he accepted The fine.

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"The politician encourages everyone to support a bully region from walruses truthful that they are not disturbed and truthful that nary threat to group occur," his agency said in a statement.

Walruses were hunted practically to extinction in The Svalbard Archipelago up until they were protected by rule in 1952, according to The government's Norwegian Polar Institute.

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Despite decades of protection, The number of walruses in The region is still debased and they stay connected The Norwegian National Red List, which identifies type astatine consequence of going extinct in Norway.

There will beryllium caller rules for centrifugal postulation astatine oversea from adjacent twelvemonth specifically aimed astatine protecting walruses, wherever it will beryllium forbidden to knowingly spell wrong 150 metres of them. The velocity limit will beryllium 5 knots for immoderate centrifugal postulation wrong 300 metres of them.