River otters are making a comeback in at least one corner of Prince Edward Island, according to a recent journal article, and as a result measures are now being taken to protect the popular, water-loving mammal. The Kensington North Watersheds Association started tracking river otters with trail cameras in late 2019. They began monitoring … Read more
It was just after 8 a.m. when Gary Sutton and his crew spotted the signature black dorsal fins cutting through the cool waters of the Salish Sea, off the coast of Vancouver Island. More than a dozen Bigg’s killer whales, also known as transient killer whales, swimming north in search of food. They surfaced every few minutes, the spray of their … Read more
Approximately 70 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members were deployed to Jamaica on Friday to train military personnel from several Caribbean countries who are bound for Haiti as part of a multinational security force led by Kenya and backed by the United Nations. The Canadian personnel will provide training on core peacekeeping skills and combat first aid to troops … Read more
When you look out the window or walk your dog in the year 2100, the animals you spot might be quite different from what you see today, a new study suggests. Many wildlife species are moving due to climate change — which means Canadian cities could get an influx of wild climate refugees. They could … Read more
For the shellfish industry, high fecal counts detected in areas where shellfish such as oysters are harvested can mean long — and costly — closures. The fecal matter is associated with human-borne viruses, like norovirus, but the tests that are typically used to measure the fecal matter don’t distinguish between different types of animals, including … Read more
A female killer whale that beached on northern Vancouver Island died on Saturday despite efforts by the community to push the mammal back into the water. Video of the incident, which occurred near the village of Zeballos on the island’s northwest coast, shows dozens of people trying to save the stranded orca. The female orca was stranded on shore … Read more
A volcano in Iceland erupted for the fourth time since December on Saturday, the country’s meteorological office said, spewing smoke and bright orange lava into the air in sharp contrast against the dark night sky. In a video shot from a Coast Guard helicopter and shown on public broadcaster RUV, fountains of molten rock soared … Read more
British Columbia grain farmer Malcolm Odermatt says all he can do is pray for rain this spring after repeated droughts sabotaged his harvest last year. Odermatt, who is also the president of the B.C. Grain Growers Association, has been working with his father since 2012 to farm about 2,000 acres of land in the Peace … Read more
Quirks and Quarks17:24How documenting the disappearance of the great auk led to the discovery of extinction When species cease to exist, we often say they went “the way of the dodo.” But it might be more fitting to say they went “the way of the great auk” because it was the Icelandic bird’s disappearance that led to the discovery that … Read more
A sprawling international study of humpback whales in the northern Pacific has found their population has shrunk significantly since 2012 — despite the once-endangered species’ remarkable comeback from the brink of extinction. The new research, published in Royal Society Open Science journal on Wednesday, estimated a roughly 20 per cent drop in the cetacean species’ numbers … Read more
