As the Arctic warms, concern for the plight of Santa’s favourite sleigh pullers is mounting. But in one small corner of the far flung north – Svalbard – Rudolph and his friends are thriving. Warmer temperatures are boosting plant growth and giving Svalbard reindeer more time to build up fat reserves; they also appear to […]
Tag: caribou
Mother and calf doing well: maternity unit gives Canada’s caribou a boost
In a cramped cabin in western Canada, Starr Gauthier’s mornings begin with a comforting routine. As the sun flits through stands of mountain evergreens, she brews coffee, chops wood and prepares food – for her co-worker and for the endangered caribou whose fate rests in her hands. “I get fired up every morning knowing that […]
BC gov’t taken to court over shooting of wolves from helicopters to save caribou
The conservation group Pacific Wild is taking the BC government to court over how the ministry responsible is killing wolves to save the endangered caribou populations. The government’s wolf management program was launched in 2015 to reduce predation on caribou. An estimated 1,400 wolves have been killed since, according to Pacific Wild. Animal advocates have […]
Culture shock: how loss of animals’ shared knowledge threatens their survival
At the peak of the whaling industry, in the late 1800s, North Atlantic right whales were slaughtered in their thousands. With each carcass hauled on to the deck, whalers were taking more than just bones and flesh out of the ocean. The slaughtered whales had unique memories of feeding grounds, hunting techniques and communication styles; […]
Petition: Arctic Animals Movement Patterns Shifting Due to Climate Change
A study funded by NASA has recently determined that wildlife in the Arctic are responding to climate change in different ways. This has researchers worried that entire ecosystems could be disrupted. “The Arctic is showing more extreme indications of climate change,” said study co-author Gil Bohrer. The team analyzed data from the Arctic Animal Movement […]
POLL: Should the Trump Administration be allowed to auction leases in the Arctic refuge to the oil and gas industry?
In a last-ditch attempt to make good on promises to the oil and gas industry, the Trump administration is rushing to formalize plans to drill for oil in the Arctic national wildlife refuge before Joe Biden takes office. On Tuesday, the Bureau of Land Management initiated the process with a formal “call for nominations”, inviting […]
Seismic Oil and Gas Exploration Will Scar the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
WASHINGTON – “The Arctic Refuge still carries scars from seismic testing conducted in a limited area more than 30 years ago,” said Natalie Dawson, executive director at Audubon Alaska. “This poses a serious threat to polar bears and other important species during their most vulnerable time of year in the Refuge.” Today, the Bureau of […]
With the help of an app, Nunavut hunters document the changing Arctic
It’s fall in Nunavut, Canada, and Richard Kakk is hunting caribou. Snow that started in September has placed him in a landscape of white, broken only by the ice-crusted slate blue of the Gulf of Boothia to the west, the patches of exposed black rock in the rolling hills to the east, and the brown […]