VANCOUVER – Dozens of black bears were killed in B.C. last month by conservation officers after what officials say was a busy time with thousands of calls. According to provincial statistics posted online Wednesday, conservation officers were called 3,524 times about black bears in August. Officers went to 335 of those calls and in 74 […]
Tag: british columbia
Fur farming has lost its social license due to the cruelty and health risks. Should it be banned?
IN THE WILD, MINK HAVE A NATURAL TERRITORY of up to 2,500 hectares, where they swim, run, hunt and socialize. In BC’s mink farms, they live their whole lives in small cages which many British Columbians view as inhumane. In the past year, health experts have raised alarms about the spread of viruses, including COVID-19. […]
When Chinook salmon is off the menu, other prey will do for endangered orcas
For nearly 20 years, Robin Baird has been following killer whales, trying to figure out what they eat. At first, he would look to see what was in their mouths as the whales feasted on fish near the surface. But then he and his colleague, Brad Hanson, started looking for more subtle clues in their […]
Petition: Pacific Killer Whales are Dying–Here’s Why
Scientists have been researching why orcas in the Pacific Ocean have died and their research shows that it’s partly due to human interaction. Stephen Raverty at the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture in Canada and colleagues conducted the research on 53 orcas that had washed up along the Pacific Coast, from British Columbia down to […]
Banff wolves have lower survival rate due to hunting, trapping outside park boundary
A study shows grey wolves in Banff National Park don’t live much longer than those in the rest of Alberta because many are being hunted or trapped when they leave the protected area. The paper that documents the survival of Banff wolves over three decades was published this week in the journal Global Ecology and […]
British Columbia’s looming extinction crisis
Chocolate brown fur, a pointy face and rounded ears give fisher the appearance of an old-fashioned teddy bear. Yet biologists call it “the ninja of the forest.” A fisher is about the size of a housecat, but stretched out like a limo, and it’s one of the fastest land animals on the planet when it […]
Orca Mother Who Carried Dead Calf 17 Days Is Pregnant Again
Tahlequah, the southern resident killer whale who broke hearts around the world when she carried her dead calf for 17 days and more than 1,000 miles, is pregnant again. Tahlequah’s grueling journey called attention to the plight of the endangered orcas who roam the waters between Washington state and British Columbia. The animals are threatened […]
Coronavirus fears as China plans to protect vast mink and fox fur industry from backlash at wildlife trade
China is considering moves that would entrench its vast fur industry further into the country’s economy, raising worries over the spread of coronavirus among animals crowded together in small spaces. The country’s agriculture ministry is proposing to reclassify mink, raccoon dogs, silver foxes and blue foxes as domestic livestock, rather than wild animals, which they […]