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posted on Fri, 05/19/2006 - 1:53pm
A Grizzlar? A Pizzly? New Bear Hybrid Discovered.
Humorous naming possibilites abound for a new breed of bear discovered in the tundra of the Candian province of Nunavut. DNA tests have confirmed that the bear, shot by a Canadian hunter, is a previously-undiscovered cross between a Polar Bear and a Grizzly Bear. The hunter’s guide, Roger Kuptana, had noticed that the bear had a brown, spotty coloration and the slightly humped back of a grizzly, but not until last week did a DNA test confirm that a new hybrid had been discovered.
The possibility of a grizzly-polar bear hybrid has been known for years, and successful crossbreeds have been born in captivity. The range of the polar bear and the grizzly bear overlap slightly, and the breeding season of the two species are similar as well. However, no crossbreed had ever been found in the wild.
The DNA results are good news for the hunter, Jim Martell. He had been granted a permit to kill one wild polar bear, and the penalty for taking an grizzly bear without a permit is up to a year in jail. Now that the bear’s lineage has been established, Martell will not face any penalty and will be allowed to keep the bear as a trophy. He has dubbed it a “polargrizz.”
The crossbreed may indicate that there is a problem for both species. Both the Polar Bear and the Grizzly bear are considered threatened species, and the existence of hybrids might mean that the bears are having a difficult time finding mates. Additionally, wildlife geneticist David Paetaku (in an interview with CNN), expressed concern that the crossbreeding may water down the breeds of two already threatened animals.
Your Comments, Thoughts, Questions, Ideas
Hey I was going to tell u that there were only two ever in history one was in a ring side show many years ago and the other was shot thought to be a poler bear.
posted on Sat, 12/06/2008 - 9:28pm
I feel it is a tragedy that this so called 'man' killed the only species of this kind found in the wild. He should be liable for the one year jail penalty; his permit was for a polar bear, not a grizzly bear. I understand the animal is half of each genetically, but he broke his permit legally by killing an animal that was not 100% a polar bear. I hope in the future he will give up his hunting of endangered animals irregardless of the money he pays to do it. It is a real tragedy that innocent animals are hunted and murdered for some sick individuals fun.
posted on Wed, 05/24/2006 - 2:29pm
I don't see why you think this is such a problem, it's just a bear! I mean it IS possibly the only one of it's kind, but even so, if it is simply a hybrid, all we have to do is wait for another grizzley to mate with another polar bear. It's not even a seperate species! Another thing to point out, is that it is not a traggedy, when one man kills one bear. Take a look at Darfur in Sudan. Thousands of humans are killing thousands of humans there, and I don't see very much public outcry.
posted on Thu, 12/28/2006 - 12:47pm
It is a tragedy what is happening there, but those individuals can revolt against their gov., just like we did to Eng., etc.
In the bible it states that we are to 'look after' God's creatures, not kill them for fun (sport).
posted on Fri, 03/02/2007 - 4:20pm
I cannot believe you can't see the problem here. Do you know how long the bear has been on this Earth? How long it took to create and evolve into that species? Have you taken any basic anatomy and physiology classes. We are no different from them except in one thing, we kill for pleasure. Also we over populate and destroy things. Do you not see the tragedy? We as humans are causing this to happen. Yes you who sit at your computer not in touch with what is going on, are causing this to happen. We as a species are so self involved it blows my mind. You state "So its just a Bear' My reply is "so its just you" There are plenty more like you right! that is the mentality that is crushing are beautiful animal friends. For a moment think about what it would be like without animals.
posted on Tue, 04/14/2009 - 11:04am
There are a great many differences between bears and people, not just the one you mention.
All animals over-populate when given the chance. Remove predators, and populations increase to the point where the ecosystem can no longer support them all, and the numbers fall back.
None of which is to say I support hunting for sport. But I do object to false moral equivalencies.
posted on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 9:52am
i do agree with you a little bit but because of hunting some animals are going extinct!!!!!!!!! even though huntimg is fun it is not good for the enviroment!!!!!
posted on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 10:20am
I don't think you can make a blanket statement that hunting is not good for the environment. If we don't hunt deer and keep their population numbers in check, they'll actually not have enough to eat over the winter, causing them to eat bark off of trees, which then make the trees susceptible to diseases. That's just one example.
posted on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 10:29am
hmm...same could be said about humans...and the argument could be used to justify wars and genocides though....population control. if we don't allow situations for humans to kill each other, our population will grow too big and deplete all the resources...then what...
but then again, since we are on the top of the food chain we take advantage of our position to kill animals for sport and deplete our resources that way too. of course a ploar-grizzly as a trophy is so much more important/significant than the starving people around the world.
basically if we are going to use arguments like that, keep in mind that we are creatures/animals too so morality aside, the argument should apply to us too.
posted on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 8:15pm
That's just the point -- you can't put morality aside. If we cannot agree that a human's life is more valuable / more important than an animal's, then I fear we do not have enough common ground to continue the discussion.
I do agree with the earlier post: as Earth's dominant, sentient species, we have a responsibility -- moral, ethical, and rational -- to be aware of the impact of our actions, to protect and preserve the nature which sustains us, and to treat animals humanely. But not, I would add, humanly.
posted on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 10:22pm
Humans have the capacity to realize which behaviors we exhibit that are detrimental to the environment. And we have the capacity to change those behaviors. Do we do that all the time? No. Deer, or other animals, don't have those cognitive abilities, and that's where animal population control through hunting can actually benefit the balance of nature...even for the species being hunted.
posted on Wed, 07/01/2009 - 9:10am
I agree with you 100% Jessica! if you hunt because you are hungry, maybe. Why can't there be postings of the incredible bear running across snow? We have to see an animal slaughtered and lying in it's own blood with a background of white...........How awful! Just the thought that I wanted in my mind 'wow, they found this new species-how beautiful! Oh, and look what we did to it!' Hate it!
posted on Fri, 02/06/2009 - 10:38am
Are you insane? Do you think he walked up to the bear and said, "Hello Mr. Bear, I have a permit to kill you but I need to know if you are in fact a Polar Bear." He shot a 7 foot tall white bear from 300 yards away at 5 o'clock in the morning in below 80 degrees Celsius. It took scientists weeks to determine this thing wasn't a Polar Bear, you expected him to figure that out from 300 yards away in a split second under those conditions? What an ignorant comment you left. Don't let your love of animals get in the way. Your problem may be with the killing of an animal in general. That man wanted to shoot a Polar bear, not an unknown cross breed. Not to mention he did it legally. Go fight the system.
posted on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 8:15am
I don't really have a dog in this fight, but, for the sake of argument... maybe if you're 300 yards away from what you're planning on killing at 5 o'clock in the morning, and you only have "a split second" to determine that that something is ok to kill... you shouldn't shoot?
Isn't that a basic tenant of hunting and gun-safety? To be absolutely positive that what you're pointing your weapon at is something you are willing to kill, and something that is legal for you to kill? At 300 yards, it wasn't exactly self-defense yet.
Also, a little side point—I don't know for sure what the conditions were where the guy was hunting, but the coldest temperature ever recorded on this planet was 26 years ago in Antarctica, and it was -89 degrees Celsius. Are you sure it was -80 C where he shot that bear?
posted on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 9:51am
well i was disscussing this with someone last nIght, and they came up with (grolar). this is very interesting though. i think that the possibility of a new breed is very high, and IF it happens it is because it has to happen. A new speices. but, i Also Do not want the two speices of bears to disappear. strange. it won't happen fast, i know thAT. IF THIS IS NATURAL, WOW!!!! IF IT IS NOT WELL I STILL AM IMPRESSED.
posted on Thu, 05/25/2006 - 2:56pm
In Time magazine they concluded that in fifty years the Polar Bear may become extinct due to the diminishing ice in the north polar region.These hybrids could be attributed to global warming.Maybe more polar bears are moving inwards from the ice and breeding with the also endangered grizzly bears.I don't think that it's a horrible thing that these bears mate.I read an article where these hybrids are fertile,unlike mules or male ligers.This may be a way for the bear species to continue to thrive in Alaska.
posted on Sun, 10/01/2006 - 9:58pm
I'm a little concerned that an educational website has made a glaring spelling error. The correct nomenclature is 'Canadian', not 'Candian'. Please utilize the spell check feature in the future.
Also, the hunter, Jim Martell, is American.
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/05/10/pizzly-grolar-bear.html
Please get your facts straight, and do a bit more research, before you post. Poor research for an educational site.
posted on Tue, 05/30/2006 - 1:55pm
I'm glad that you pointed out the errors. (And I'm not making excuses, either. But I would hardly call the first one an "egregious" mistake. It's more of a minor typo. After all, you knew what the writer meant.)
I want to say, too, that this website allows any registered member to post stories, and any user to comment on them. We trust our community to be careful and responsible when writing blog stories, and we count on the community's vigilance to correct any errors. And you did! Seems like the system is working.
posted on Tue, 05/30/2006 - 3:16pm
Only a complete self-absorbed moron would kill a rare creature such as this bear. Rest assured things will go bad for him with time.
posted on Mon, 06/12/2006 - 9:18pm
Being the wife of a hunter, trust me, you would not know from the distance that it was a polar/grizzly mix, it was white, it was big, he paid good money for it, so he took it. I don't blame him.
posted on Fri, 09/08/2006 - 10:52am
So, let's say you rec. a lic. to kill a deer; your in the woods @ a good distance & see something brownish.
Do you just shoot it or do you make sure it is a deer & not a child/adult/etc.?
posted on Fri, 03/02/2007 - 4:23pm
There are more than one of these hybrids out there. I doubt the person was looking for this hybrid to kill. There is a season on polar bears and that is what he was likely hunting for. Hunting is still a part of who we are wether we all like it or not. The hybrids are occuring because of an overlap of ranges due to Global warming and human population growth and habitat destruction. Genetics is only one factor that seperates species-a good comparison is the different wolf species and coyotes. Yes, check your sources and don't just trust what you see on the internet. People ARE outraged by needless killing of animals and the genocidal killings in many contries.
posted on Tue, 04/14/2009 - 11:53am
For those against hunting- I guess you would like all hunters to capture the animals and do genetic testing to verify that the animal is truely what it looks like before they kill it. In the real world a hunter can only verify his kill by looking at it. The man did nothing wrong. It is unfortunate that this animal is a crossbreed and was killed but it was legal. This sight is not for sharing views on hunting policies but to report new and interesting things for all to see. Everyone is entitled to there opinion. But please do not use this page to condem hunting.
Respectfully submitted by Tom Bonnos
posted on Wed, 07/05/2006 - 10:17pm
Actually, I'm guessing that those against hunting would rather that hunters, you know...stop hunting.
posted on Mon, 10/23/2006 - 10:20pm
well ya we should hunt because some people like the food that they hunt
posted on Wed, 07/01/2009 - 2:02pm
This article is extremely disturbing. You start the article by saying "Humourous.......". Kindly give me a break. As a Canadian what is humourous about the Canadian Government allowing an American to buy a licence to kill/murder a beautiful animal like the POLAR BEAR. Polar bears are one of the most spectcular animals on this planet and they are on the endangered species. We as Canadians and as earthlings should be doing everything possible to protect all bears including the polar bears, grizzly bears, black bears etc. I am at this instance ashamed to be a Canadian. To the despicable maggot that shot the polar/grizlly bear, I have this to say. "You will pay for this act of cruelty."
posted on Thu, 07/20/2006 - 8:50pm
I agree with the above comments posted. How completely tragic and devestating that a beautiful rare bear was hunted down and all anyone wants to do is joke about a new name for it. Well, I have a name for it-"Murdered". My only hope is that this hunter finally sees what he has done and stops hunting! Polar bears AND Grizzly bears are threatened! This hunter did do something wrong; he raised a gun and murdered a bear that was doing no harm to anyone. Nice "sport". Real sports requrie talent and heart. Hunting requires no talent and having no heart.
posted on Thu, 08/17/2006 - 1:20pm
You know, this reminds me of a lot of places I've been, both here and abroad, where lodges and trailside markers have informational signs and pictures like this one, discussing how wonderful and diverse and amazing the wildlife used to be, and isn't it great that hunters of the day thought to preserve the species on film.
Inevitably, there are tsk tsks, and "why did they do that?" and a general consensus that people back in the day were ill-informed and stupid.
I wonder if global warming is contributing to this crossbreeding? After all, if snowpack is retreating faster than polar bears can relocate... hmm.
posted on Tue, 09/05/2006 - 1:05pm
I fully agree about what this site is all about, we can go on and on with opinions. All these people against hunting, how many of you go to the store and purchase meat and take home to eat? How do you think the meat got to the grocery to begin with some person had to do the deed? As far as the original story goes...I find very interesting as well as educational and am very glad that i posted the question, do these 2 bears ever have interactions with each other?
posted on Mon, 12/04/2006 - 1:48pm
I dont understand how people go on talking about how this hunter is a terrible person for killing such a beautiful animal. I mean seriously I dont here you complaining about the terrible man who cut up your pig for the bologna. An animal is an animal so dont go around pointing your finger at people when your at home driving your soccer mom hummer eating rump roast dinner because this guy is making a living the best way he knows how, so there.
posted on Wed, 12/27/2006 - 11:21pm
real mature! grow up.there is a difference.
posted on Thu, 12/28/2006 - 11:20am
actually most of the people posting comments are upset about someone being allowed to kill a threatened species and not upset about hunting in general.
posted on Thu, 12/28/2006 - 7:14pm
They should leave the new bears alone becaause we don't want them to become endangered like the polar bear!
posted on Thu, 12/28/2006 - 12:36pm
Why is a hunter allowed to shoot a polar bear (or a grizzly bear)? They are threatened species. People should not be allowed to hunt a species on the brink of extinction. Polar bears are certain to become extinct if the world (particularly the U.S.) doesn't start doing something about global warming soon.
posted on Thu, 12/28/2006 - 7:05pm
I have to say that I dont like the fact that it is legal to hunt Polar Bear and definatly do not support hunting of exotic and endangered animals. I am a hunter myself, but I only kill what I can eat and I do not hunt for sport. I think that if all hunters would practice this the world might not have as many problems with extinction. I will say that hunters are not the main cause of this. We have to look at Global Warming, Oil Spills, Deforestation. The people against hunting are sometimes the same ones calling the shots for the companies that are loosing oil in the seas. They are the ones keeping newer technology that could help slow down global warming from reaching the public becuase it will hurt thier pocket book. Also who gives a flip if someone spelled some words wrong. I know I have and will do this again.
posted on Thu, 01/11/2007 - 10:18am
i fully agree with you...dont people know polar bears are endangered!!!!!
posted on Tue, 05/15/2007 - 10:05am
i disagree with the comment about the man who shot the pizzly grizzlar to have to go to jail for killing a grizzly when his liscense was intended for a polar bear. There was no way of knowing that what he killed was a cross breed between a grizzly bear and a polar bear. It is sad that it was the only one known of its species in the wild but it's not his fault.
posted on Fri, 03/09/2007 - 6:04pm
man that is just patheticly terrible y kill a hybrid
posted on Mon, 10/01/2007 - 9:22am
pizzlies rock with their new breed i think its so cool and awesome
posted on Mon, 11/17/2008 - 3:58pm
Please be nice to each other and keep comments civil. It is not fair to judge the hunter and say anything about what happened. You were not there and he should have a chance to defend his view and what happened.
Hunting and the reasons the hybrid occured are something we are all responsible for and need to understand.
posted on Tue, 04/14/2009 - 12:52pm
Well, I think the fact that this hybrid was found in the wild is great. Sad it had to die of course, but I'm sure if there's one, there are/will be more. I don't understand how the hunter was allowed to hunt a polar bear in the first place (50k obviously gets you whatever you want regardless of laws), but I will say after looking this up elsewhere I found a pic and have to agree with the post from a hunters wife; there is no way he could have made out the difference. Check it out yourselves:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/05/bear-hybrid-photo.html
posted on Tue, 04/14/2009 - 9:10pm
this actually reminds me of the story where the zoo tiger attacked a visitor who climbed into his cage/area.
if the polargriz had attacked the man instead, what would the response be?
posted on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 8:17pm
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