German cruise ship line driver Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has actually located itself in the center of an on-line firestorm after a guard shot as well as eliminated a polar bear throughout a coast expedition to an Arctic island chain from among its exploration cruise liner over the weekend break.

In a declaration posted to Facebook on Sunday, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises states it “very much regrets” the case however explained that deadly steps versus the polar bear were taken totally out of protection.

The case happened Saturday as the firm’s cruise liner Bremen was dropped in Spitsbergen, the biggest island of the Svalbard island chain, for a trip.

According to the cruise ship line, a four-man armed safety and security information was protecting the touchdown location to prepare for visitors when out of no place the polar bear struck among the guards, causing non-lethal injuries that needed clinical interest.

“The guard suffered head injuries, however, he was responsive after the attack and was airlifted. He is out of danger, with no threat to life. In an act of self-defence, unfortunately, it was necessary for the polar bear to be shot dead. We very much regret this incident. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is very aware of its responsibility when travelling in environmentally-sensitive areas and respects all nature and wildlife,” Hapag-Lloyd stated.

In its declaration, the cruise ship driver gave the complying with account of the case:

“The incident occurred when the four-person polar bear guard team, who are always on board for these expedition cruises as required by law, prepared for a shore leave. One of the guards was unexpectedly attacked by a polar bear that had not been spotted and he was unable to react himself. As the attempts of the other guards to evict the animal, unfortunately, were not successful, there had to be intervention for reasons of self-defence and to protect the life of the attacked person. The injured person was immediately provided with medical care and flown to a hospital with a rescue helicopter. We are in personal, direct contact with him. His condition is stable and he remains responsive.”

Despite its description, the cruise ship line was extremely slammed online over the case, with lots of asking for a boycott of the firm.

“‘Let’s get too close to a polar bear in its natural environment and then kill it if it gets too close,’ Morons,” tweeted comicRicky Gervais Others likewise charged the firm of manipulating polar bears commercial.

In its declaration, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises safeguarded its coast expedition techniques, firmly insisting that they are not suggested for polar bear monitoring.

“To illustrate the situation: Spitzbergen is a large geographical area, about one and a half times the size of Denmark. Landings are possible only in a few places; these are not there to serve the purpose of polar bear observation, on the contrary: polar bears are only observed from aboard ships, from a safe distance. To prepare for a shore leave, the polar bear guards go ashore in advance after sighting the landing site as a group and without passengers. They then set up a land station and check the area again to make sure that there are no polar bears in sight. As soon as such an animal approaches, the shore leave would be stopped immediately,” the firm composed onFacebook

As of Monday, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Facebook article regarding the case had more than 1,000 remarks, much of them adverse.

The MS Bremen was constructed in 1990 as well as can hold 155 travelers as well as 100 staff.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises states it is collaborating with Norwegian authorities to totally examine the situations of the case.