Alaska man charged with unlawfully killing polar bear

SAN FRANCISCO, July 14 (Xinhua) -- An Alaska man has been charged with the illegal killing of a polar bear, US media reported.

A 35-year-old local allegedly shot and killed a polar bear last December in violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, without reporting or saving the carcass for five months, CNN reported, citing federal prosecutors.

The federal law allows self-defense killings of animals and harvesting of polar bears for "subsistence or other purposes", but not in a wasteful manner.

The man faces up to a year in prison and a maximum fine of 100,000 U.S. dollars if convicted, said the report. Enditem