Who Pays $45k to Hunt Polar Bears

Apparently there are a few nuts who's willing to pay lots of money to kill wild animals.

I came across a story in the Seattle Times about DNA testing verified the first grizzly-polar bear in the wild. The bear was killed by an American hunter on Banks Island in the Beaufort Sea. The hunting guide suspected it was hybrid and reported the kill to authorities who seized the carcass. Here's an excerpt:

Kuptana, a guide from Sachs Harbour in the Northwest Territories, was tracking with Idaho big-game hunter Jim Martell, who paid $45,450 for a license to hunt polar bears.

The DNA results were good news for the 65-year-old hunter, who was facing a possible $909 fine and up to a year in jail for shooting a grizzly. The Northwest Territories Environment and Natural Resources Department now intends to return the bear to Martell.

Martell told the newspaper he has dubbed the creature "polargrizz."

Of course, the coincidence of having the same name (albeit with an extra 'l') is pretty funny.