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Climate change causes hybrid Grolar bears? ABC cites facebook pic, no data, scientists guess

Does “climate change” cause more polar bears to chat up the grizzly girls producing Grolar Bear babies? Maybe…

The Headline: “Grolar bears: Climate change could be behind grizzly-polar bear hybrid, scientists say”

The evidence:

Chris Servheen, a bear biologist and Adjunct Associate Research Professor at the University of Montana, said sightings of this hybrid bear species have been very rare in the past.

“But they seem to be more common now,” he said.

Mr Servheen said not very much was known about the grolar and pizzly bears, as little contact had yet to be made between them and humans.

The recent photo of what many suspect to be one of the hybrid bears was posted on Facebook…

That’ll be one data point confirmed then?

Mr Servheen said it was hard to know how many of the bears existed.

In 2006 a bear shot by hunters in the Arctic was tested and confirmed as a polar-grizzly hybrid.

So if a scientist reported that thermometers “seem” to be more near airport tarmacs than they were in 1910, with a photo of an unconfirmed one on facebook, would that be worth an interview, ABC feature and a photo? Can someone ask the ABC’s Sarah Sedghi — I know someone she should talk to.

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