Post by grrraaahhh on Jan 2, 2012 19:51:08 GMT -9
The figure of 1002kg I believe was never confirmed/verified, I don't it actually weighed that much.
I understand the skepticism Richard, but I think this bear was likely weighed:
Source: Ellis, Richard, On Thin Ice: The Changing World of the Polar Bear, New York:
Vintage Books, 2010.
Gerald Woods Text Extract:
Sports Illustrated 1961 Text Extract:
This fierce new competition has led to some bitter rhubarbs, with Fitz making supreme decisions from his trophy-tilled penthouse in Manhattan. The most recent controversy involved a mammoth polar bear killed by Arthur Dubs of Medford, Ore. Mounted, the bear stands 11 feet 1½ inches, the tallest ever. But Fitz and the B&C Club take the position that bear records are meaningful only if based on the size of the skull. "The taxidermists seem to operate on the principle that what the hunter wants is altitude," Fitz grumbles, "and they mount these bears straight up in a position no polar bear has ever taken. Then they measure the height. And this can vary by as much as a foot or two for the same size skin." One can only pity poor Dubs. He may well have taken the biggest polar bear ever, but he can't even submit the skull for measurement because a piece of it was chipped off in the dressing operation. He is left with a gargantuan trophy totally lacking in official status.
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1147907/3/index.htm
Famous 1961 US media reporting of the polar bear kill: