Polar bear attack investigation begins

Police look into security arrangements of Arctic expedition after teenager is mauled to death by wild animal Police are investigating the security arrangements of the Arctic expedition in which an English schoolboy was mauled to death by a polar bear. Horatio Chapple, 17, died after the animal attacked a camp on Spitsbergen island in the Svalbard archipelago, in the Arctic circle. Accounts suggest a warning tripwire system, used to set off flares that might have scared the animal away, failed to go off. Police are checking a rifle that apparently failed to fire four times before it was successfully used to kill the bear. Liv Asta Ooedegaard, a spokeswoman for the governor of Svalbard, said the rifle had been sent for forensic examination. “We are trying to get the whole picture. That is what we are working on now.” The British Schools Exploring Society (BSES), which ran the trip, may also face a UK investigation after a spokeswoman for Wiltshire police said Chapple’s death had been reported to their child protection team. Circumstances surrounding the death will come under further scrutiny at a forthcoming inquest in Salisbury. The head of security at the University of Svalbard, John Ingen Karlsen, told the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten that although the expedition team had correctly pitched their tents on a hill and away from the water’s edge, they had made two errors. They should have had team members on continuous watch for bears, and their tripwire system may not have been set up properly. Michael Reid, 29, the expedition leader who shot the animal in the head during the attack on Friday, and fellow leader Andy Ruck, 27, returned to the UK after being discharged from hospital on Monday. Patrick Flinders, 16, and Scott Bennell-Smith, 17, who were sharing a tent with Horatio Chapple, returned to the UK on Sunday. Flinders underwent an operation in Norway to remove parts of the bear’s teeth from his scalp, while Bennell-Smith suffered a broken jaw and smashed teeth. The eight uninjured members of the group were expected to return to the UK on Monday. Chapple’s parents, David and Olivia, and his grandfather, Sir John Chapple, former head of the army, paid tribute to him at the weekend. They described the teenager as a “generous, kind and fearless” young man. “He had many friends who admired his enthusiasm for life, his love of challenge and his innate courtesy and wish to help others,” they said. “Horatio was a fine role model for his two younger brothers, Titus, 15, and Magnus, 13.” They added that Horatio planned to read medicine and was keen to find a cure for type one diabetes, which his youngest brother has. On Saturday, BSES announced it had ended the £3,000-per-head expedition on the advice of the Svalbard authorities and in accordance with the wishes of the group leaders. The group was founded in 1932 by a member of Captain Scott’s final Antarctic expedition. It is based at the Royal Geographical Society in London and organises exploratory trips for young people that involve scientific research in wilderness areas. Participants are expected to raise money to cover the costs of the trip. Norway Animals Arctic Europe Polar regions Jeevan Vasagar guardian.co.uk

Posted by on August 8, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.