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Norway fines tour guide for scaring polar bear

Svalbard is home to nearly 1,000 polar bears
Svalbard is home to nearly 1,000 polar bears

An Arctic tourist guide has been fined €1,300 for scaring off a polar bear in the Norwegian far-north.

When a group of tourists on a snowmobile expedition in May spotted a bear standing still, 900 metres away, their guide decided to approach the predator to take a closer look.

The animal, spotted on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, fled the scene.

"The regulations say that it is forbidden to approach polar bears in such a way that they are disturbed, regardless of the distance," the Svalbard governor's office said in a statement.

Located 1,600km from the North Pole, Svalbard is, according to 2015 state figures, home to nearly 1,000 polar bears, a protected species since 1973.

Five deadly attacks on people have been recorded in about 40 years.