Polar bear kills British boy in Arctic

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

A polar bear has mauled a 17-year-old British boy to death in the Arctic and injured four other UK tourists. Horatio Chapple, from Wiltshire, was with 12 others on a British Schools Exploring Society trip near a glacier on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen.
The four who were hurt - two severely - included two leaders of the trip. They have been flown to Tromsoe where their condition is stable.
BSES chairman Edward Watson described Mr Chapple as a "fine young man".
Mr Watson said the society had been in touch with his family - who live near Salisbury - and had offered "our utmost sympathy".
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/54449000/gif/_54449887_mhpz1i8u.gif Horatio Chapple was expected to read medicine after completing his studies at Eton
He said: "Horatio was a fine young man, hoping to go on to read medicine after school. By all accounts he would've made an excellent doctor."
He said the society's executive director was travelling to Spitsbergen, in the Svalbard archipelago, adding: "We are continuing to gather information on this tragedy."
Mr Chapple was studying at Eton College in Berkshire. Geoff Riley, head of teaching and learning technologies at the school paid tribute on Twitter, saying his thoughts and prayers were with his family.
SOURCE AND THE REST OF THE ARTICLE
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14415592)
Note: 5 August 2011 Last updated at 20:36 GMT

[gimpy117]

yeah...polar bears grizzly bears...really any kind of bear are not to be messed with. even if they did nothing wrong this goes to show that they are deadly and nothing like those coke drinking, picnic basket stealing cartoon bears we see. Instead of lumbering bumbling beasts, they really are really fast and really deadly!

[sidslotm]

This was a terrible article to read, how his family must be feeling.

I remember reading an article on bears years ago, USA or Canada, no longer sure. But this man reconed he could stop a bear with a shotgun coming straight at him. Others where saying a shotgun would never stop a bear in a million years. Then years later I saw a video on the BBC of a bear chasing a deer of some kind, those dam bears can really run, it caught the young deer.

I have often thought I like to do a horse back trail ride for a month in Canada, once in a life time thing, crazy ol fool, lol. But when I read this news I realize the truth about the great outdoors, it can be dramatic to say the least if you meet a bear on the trial, even if you do have a gun.

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

This was a terrible article to read, how his family must be feeling.

I remember reading an article on bears years ago, USA or Canada, no longer sure. But this man reconed he could stop a bear with a shotgun coming straight at him. Others where saying a shotgun would never stop a bear in a million years. Then years later I saw a video on the BBC of a bear chasing a deer of some kind, those dam bears can really run, it caught the young deer.

I have often thought I like to do a horse back trail ride for a month in Canada, once in a life time thing, crazy ol fool, lol. But when I read this news I realize the truth about the great outdoors, it can be dramatic to say the least if you meet a bear on the trial, even if you do have a gun.
Yeah and even with rifle there is no guarantee that bear will stop with first hit. If it does then fine, if it does not then you have very angry bear ahead of you!

[Platapus]

Frank Buck (of Bring them back alive fame) used to say that once you leave the environment of human civilization and enter the environment of animals, you lose the compassionate position being a human and become just another animal... to be hunted and killed like the other animals in the wild.

If you are not willing to take that risk, stay in the environment of human civilization where you are only at risk of being killed by other humans.

I think he made a lot of sense.

A tragic story and I feel for the family. But a bear is going to do what a bear does. It is unreasonable and unrealistic to expect a bear to do other wise. :yep:

I've seen a bear do things, well... even things that even a bear wouldn't do.

Anyone else like that movie? :D

[Jimbuna]

Terribly tragic :nope: