2011 Svalbard polar bear attack

On 5 August 2011, a polar bear in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard attacked a party of 13 university students, who were undertaking an expedition organised by the British Schools Exploring Society (BSES), and were camped near the Von Post glacier, 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the settlement of Longyearbyen.

[4] The bear was shot dead by one of the expedition's leaders, Michael "Spike" Reid, who himself suffered severe head and facial injuries.

[5] The BSES party of 80 members had planned their trip to run from 23 July to 28 August, but it was cut short after the incident.

[7] Leaders of such expeditions are advised that camps should be protected by trip wires that detonate deterrent explosives, lookouts through the night, or guard dogs.

[10] In March 2012, following an inquiry by Norwegian investigators, officials ruled that the attack could have been prevented if the expedition members had stayed in cabins instead of tents.