The northward migration of grizzlies has led to more sightings of “grolar” bears in the Arctic.

Hunters from the village of Ulukhaktok, N.W.T., knew there was something different about the polar bear they were stalking but couldn’t put their finger on it.

It was far more aggressive than anything they were used to. They even called off the dog for fear the large white mammal would kill it.

On closer inspection after it was shot and killed, it turned out not to be an ordinary polar bear but one that was a cross between a polar bear and a grizzly, unofficially known as a “grolar bear” and “pizzly.”

“The first hybrid we had ever seen around here a few years ago was pretty nasty. They (hunters) usually stalk the polar bear using a dog, but this bear was so aggressive they couldn’t use a dog on them. It was too dangerous,” Robert Kuptana, who lives in the western Arctic hamlet of about 400 people on Victoria Island, told the Toronto Star Friday.

Over the years, as grizzly bears wandered further north following the caribou herd, the hybrid variety became more common, said the 69-year-old Kuptana. He added that a hunter from the village, Pat Ekpakohak, and his two grandchildren killed three of them just 10 days ago.

“One is pure white, one is partly dark and the other is fairly dark brown and the top part is white,” said Kuptana, who took a picture of the skins.

Polar bear and grizzly habitats overlap in the western Canadian Arctic around the Beaufort Sea. Grizzlies are known to occasionally to go out on the ice in the spring to feed on seals killed by polar bears, according to the Canadian Wildlife Service.

A DNA test conducted by the Wildlife Genetics International in British Columbia on a bear shot and killed by an American hunter in 2006 confirmed it was a hybrid, making it the first documented case in the wild.

Ian Stirling, a research scientist and polar bear expert with the Canadian Wildlife Service in Edmonton, said in an interview with National Geographic that the hybrid was “definitely not” a sign of climate change.

Andrew Derocher, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Alberta, is in Ulukhaktok, where he is doing polar bear research and saw the skins from the three hybrids.

“It seems to me they are getting a lot more common, at least in this part of the Arctic,” he told the Star.

“I think the story here . . . is that the number of grizzly bears on Victoria Island has increased quite markedly over the last 20 years. And part of that might be related to changing environmental conditions up here. It’s a bit warmer and it’s quite clear the grizzly bears are well-established here now and, of course, there is a healthy population of polar bears around,” he said.

David Paetkau, president of Wildlife Genetics International, based in Nelson. B.C., told the Star it was a “quirky” development that can’t be totally explained.

NUNAVUT — The Arctic Fence that protects North America from frigid temperatures and brutal winds has collapsed!

Arctic meteorologists have released a report that explains the record-breaking snowfall and below average temperatures experienced all along the Eastern seaboard this winter. The Arctic Fence, which once protected the cold weather and held it in its place, is gone.

Dr. Madeleine Akumalik, who led the study, explained.

“We’re shocked, really. We went out to check on the fence, which is a translucent geothermal wall. It basically retains the cold weather and keeps it in the north. Our fears were verified by the satellite imagery. Last winter, we could see the Arctic Fence from space. This year, there isn’t even a shadow or a crack where it used to be. The only explanation is that it has collapsed into the Arctic Ocean.”

Dr. Akumalik continued, “We knew it was warmer, but we didn’t know it would be warmer forever. Our whole way of life has to change. No more ice fishing, no more ice trucking, no more polar bear hunting.”

The report is sending shock waves throughout North America.

According to The Nunavut News, the Arctic Fence typically keeps the extremely cold air in places like northeastern Canada and Greenland. But scientists have determined that this “weather wall” lost its strength in early December and sent a winter’s worth of bone-chilling temperatures directly south.

In the mean time, warmer temperatures have pushed north. Throughout the Canadian Territories, and even north of the Arctic Circle, temperatures in December ran at least 20 degrees above normal. Ice fishing and trade routes have been seriously disrupted.   Eskimos are losing their igloos at an alarming rate!

In Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, the annual  snowmobile parade had to be canceled. The locals are organizing and demanding action.

“We want our snow back!” cried Elisapie Aragutak during a demonstration in Iqaluit. “We need it! We depend on it! It’s not fair, America doesn’t even want the snow! We need the snow and the ice and the wind! Give it back!”

When asked for an explanation, Dr. Akumalik, one of the leading meteorologists in the Nunavut territory, further detailed this new weather reality.

“Ice reflects sunlight. We know that the Arctic has been losing ice for years. There is less ice so the Arctic Ocean is absorbing more heat in the summer. We’ve been getting stuck with warmer air.”

“This winter, our Canadian buffer zone, the protective layer known as the Arctic Fence, finally gave way and released all of the cold air behind its wall. This means it’s snowing in Boston and sunny on the Hudson Bay. It’s a drastic change for the territories, and for southern Canada and the States too. Nobody likes it. Especially not the polar bears.”

Does this mean Americans will all freeze to death?  Maybe… just maybe.

CANADA – A small town in Canada is becoming famous for its much larger residents!

The small and quiet town of Churchill Manitoba, with a population of a little over 900, is gaining a lot of notoriety for its polar bears. Churchill is located on the shore of Hudson Bay. The polar bears move toward the lake shore from inland in the fall and have provided the town with the nickname, “Polar Bear Capital of the World.” Thanks to the bears, the town has experienced an explosion in the tourism industry.

Churchill is a very famous location for Arctic research and the town has more to offer than just polar bears. It has above average restaurants, tour operators, several hotels and a health centre.

The town offers tours for individuals who want to see the polar bears up close. Groups are shuttled aboard “Tundra Buggies,” all-terrain vehicles resembling a cross between a school bus and a monster truck. Tours usually run from early October to mid-November. It’s suggested that tours be booked early, up to a year, as this hidden gem is gaining national exposure and becoming very popular.

JUNEAU, AK – Sarah Palin has landed the cover of Portfolio’s April 2009 issue with a photo of her wearing a Bigfoot skin coat, and she is not pleased.

Joe McGinniss’ cover story, “Palin and Wildlife: The Cold Hard Truth”, focuses on her terrible track record when dealing with wildlife conservation. She has opposed strengthening protections for beluga whales and polar bears, and has encouraged the control of wolf populations through promoting bounties and aerial hunting.

But the most damning charges pertain to the treatment of Sasquatches in Alaska. As loyal Weekly World News readers may recall, Sarah Palin posed with a Bigfoot she shot dead from a helicopter.

Since then she has constantly battled with conservationists over placing them on the Endangered Species list. As a seemingly provocative move, Portfolio used a photo of Palin wearing a Bigfoot skin coat, possibly the skin of the creature she shot last year.

Palin spokesman Bill McAllister has already released a statement about the piece: “Show me one shred of truth for this accusation: ‘Palin has systematically targeted the Sasquatch population time and time again.’ Senator Palin’s first and foremost responsibility is to the citizens of Alaska. She must protect them and their livelihood from these creature.”

“If that means not bending over backwards for radical conversationists, then so be it. She is ready and willing to take on their criticism, when it is fair and factual.”

Ashley Judd, a recent foe of Palin, is already planning a new video with the World Cryptid Federation in order to bring Palin’s treatment of Sasquatches to light. Judd will shoot on location in Alaska, where she will be filmed handfeeding a pack of Sasquatches Twinkies to prove they are not dangerous.