An emaciated Arctic fox found dead at Vindodden in August tested positive for avian influenza, not rabies, according to the Norwegian Veterinary Institute.

Norway’s Coast Guard considered using a machine gun to sink a drifting mooring buoy near Svalbard before eventually hauling the rusty steel structure aboard. The incident highlights marine debris hazards in Arctic waters.

The average weight of adult reindeer on Svalbard, north of Norway, has fallen to 106 pounds from 121 pounds in the 1990s