Wildlife

Boris the walrus is shown in a handout photo from the Quebec Aquarium. Canada’s three remaining captive walruses, including Boris, have been moved to a new marine park in Abu Dhabi. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Quebec Aquarium

Last captive walruses in Canada moved to new SeaWorld in Abu Dhabi

Boris, Smooshi and her baby, Koyuk, arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday

Boris the walrus is shown in a handout photo from the Quebec Aquarium. Canada’s three remaining captive walruses, including Boris, have been moved to a new marine park in Abu Dhabi. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Quebec Aquarium
(Black Press Media stock image)

Rogue raccoon recesses class at Kelowna school

South Kelowna Elementary closed for the day after a visit by a raccoon

(Black Press Media stock image)
Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault rises during Question Period, Thursday, February 16, 2023 in Ottawa. Two environmental groups and a British Columbia First Nation say the federal government is recommending an order to protect the critically at-risk northern spotted owl. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Federal protection proposed for critically at-risk spotted owls in B.C., groups say

Just three of the tiny owls are known to be in the wild in B.C.

Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault rises during Question Period, Thursday, February 16, 2023 in Ottawa. Two environmental groups and a British Columbia First Nation say the federal government is recommending an order to protect the critically at-risk northern spotted owl. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
A pod of orcas surfaces in Chatham Sound near Prince Rupert, B.C., Friday, June 22, 2018. Researchers say British Columbia’s southern resident killer whales are not only threatened by the decline of the general salmon population but also the reduction in high-quality fatty salmon, the whales’ preferred meal. THE CANADIAN PRESS Jonathan Hayward

B.C. study links killer whale decline to lack of energy-rich fatty salmon

UBC scientists find that all salmon are not created equal when it comes to being a food source

A pod of orcas surfaces in Chatham Sound near Prince Rupert, B.C., Friday, June 22, 2018. Researchers say British Columbia’s southern resident killer whales are not only threatened by the decline of the general salmon population but also the reduction in high-quality fatty salmon, the whales’ preferred meal. THE CANADIAN PRESS Jonathan Hayward
A May 2014 file photo shows a horseshoe crab burrowing into the sand on a beach in Middle Township N.J. to lay eggs. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Wayne Parry

B.C. diver finds horseshoe crab: ‘I knew immediately it wasn’t supposed to be here’

‘I sincerely think this isn’t a biology story, it’s a waste management story’

A May 2014 file photo shows a horseshoe crab burrowing into the sand on a beach in Middle Township N.J. to lay eggs. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Wayne Parry
Wildlife advocates suspect seven skunks found dead in Richmond ate rat poison and are urging people to show more awareness of the effects of poison on the food chain. (pixabay photo)

Seven skunk deaths prompt poison warning in Greater Vancouver area

Toxicology reports pending, large quantities of rat poison suspected in Richmond, B.C. deaths

Wildlife advocates suspect seven skunks found dead in Richmond ate rat poison and are urging people to show more awareness of the effects of poison on the food chain. (pixabay photo)
A northern spotted owl is shown at the Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Program (NSOBP) in Langley, B.C. in this undated handout photo. One of just four endangered spotted owls known to be in the wild in British Columbia is now recovering from an injury after being found along some train tracks, slowing the careful plans to revive the species, a breeding program co-ordinator said. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, NSOBP

Northern spotted owl found injured near B.C. train tracks two months after release

Bird found near Spuzzum one of just four endangered spotted owls known to be in the B.C. wild

A northern spotted owl is shown at the Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Program (NSOBP) in Langley, B.C. in this undated handout photo. One of just four endangered spotted owls known to be in the wild in British Columbia is now recovering from an injury after being found along some train tracks, slowing the careful plans to revive the species, a breeding program co-ordinator said. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, NSOBP
Southern resident J-pod orcas were spotted challenging the currents in Dodd Narrows off Joan Point Park around mid-day on Feb. 14. (Submitted photo)

J-pod killer whales swim against the current at Nanaimo’s Dodd Narrows

Runner captures video of southern resident orcas from Cable Bay Trail on Feb. 14

Southern resident J-pod orcas were spotted challenging the currents in Dodd Narrows off Joan Point Park around mid-day on Feb. 14. (Submitted photo)
Steve Voller, a registered professional biologist with Seamount Consulting and Tracy Motyer, a registered biology technician with Aqua-Tex checking the new stream at the handyDART site in View Royal for fish using an electrofisher, on Feb. 2. (Courtesy of Aqua-Tex Scientific)

‘Undo some of the harm’: Fish return to View Royal creek at transit construction site

Work to restore the creek has seen juvenile coho salmon and cutthroat trout swim in the stream

Steve Voller, a registered professional biologist with Seamount Consulting and Tracy Motyer, a registered biology technician with Aqua-Tex checking the new stream at the handyDART site in View Royal for fish using an electrofisher, on Feb. 2. (Courtesy of Aqua-Tex Scientific)
An owl that was rescued by Dennis MacKenzie from a P.E.I. was found to have a broken wing and will be taken to Nova Scotia for further examination, as seen in this handout image provided Sunday, February 12, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Dennis MacKenzie *MANDATORY CREDIT*

Owl rescued from Prince Edward Island field to be taken to Nova Scotia for treatment

‘Just have my fingers crossed that it is a clean break and we can get (the wing) fixed’

An owl that was rescued by Dennis MacKenzie from a P.E.I. was found to have a broken wing and will be taken to Nova Scotia for further examination, as seen in this handout image provided Sunday, February 12, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Dennis MacKenzie *MANDATORY CREDIT*
Deepsea fragile pink sea urchin aggregating to feed on decaying seaweed at the Endeavour site during a 2016 expedition, is seen in this image provided February 7, 2023. Pink urchins like these are expanding their territory into shallower B.C. water. Researchers say the movement is a sign of how fast climate change is impacting life in the water. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Ocean Networks Canada/WHOI

B.C’s pink sea urchins are on the move to shallower waters thanks to climate change

UVic researchers say climate change and ‘The Blob’ changing way these fragile sea creatures behave

Deepsea fragile pink sea urchin aggregating to feed on decaying seaweed at the Endeavour site during a 2016 expedition, is seen in this image provided February 7, 2023. Pink urchins like these are expanding their territory into shallower B.C. water. Researchers say the movement is a sign of how fast climate change is impacting life in the water. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Ocean Networks Canada/WHOI
KELA_EKE Kingfisher Forest, named for its abundance of belted kingfishers, as seen from above. (Alex Harris/Raincoast Conservation Foundation)

Rare Pender Island habitat slated for ‘mega-mansions’ to become nature preserve

KELA_EKE Kingfisher Forest secured for wildlife conservation in joint land acquisition

KELA_EKE Kingfisher Forest, named for its abundance of belted kingfishers, as seen from above. (Alex Harris/Raincoast Conservation Foundation)
A shark is seen swimming across a sandbar on Aug. 13, 2021, off the Massachusetts’ coast of Cape Cod. Researchers say better fisheries management and conservation are turning the tide on shark and ray population declines in the Northwest Atlantic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Phil Marcelo

Tide begins to turn on declining NW Atlantic shark and ray populations: study

SFU probe finds declines halted in 3 species, and 6 species are rebuilding their numbers

A shark is seen swimming across a sandbar on Aug. 13, 2021, off the Massachusetts’ coast of Cape Cod. Researchers say better fisheries management and conservation are turning the tide on shark and ray population declines in the Northwest Atlantic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Phil Marcelo
Canada’s financial intelligence agency is stepping up the fight against the illicit wildlife trade by taking aim at the criminals who reap big profits from the global racket. The alert says Canadian bears are poached for their bile, claws and paws, which reap large sums on the traditional medicine market at home and abroad. A black bear is seen near Lake Louise, Alta., June, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Federal agency targeting illegal wildlife trade through financial intelligence

Banks other enterprises encouraged to look for signs of poaching, money laundering

Canada’s financial intelligence agency is stepping up the fight against the illicit wildlife trade by taking aim at the criminals who reap big profits from the global racket. The alert says Canadian bears are poached for their bile, claws and paws, which reap large sums on the traditional medicine market at home and abroad. A black bear is seen near Lake Louise, Alta., June, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Thousands of small starfish wash ashore during low tide on Garden City Beach, S.C., Monday, June 29, 2020. A Canadian national research group says it has proven that seastars are tied with polar bears as the top predator of the coastal Arctic marine ecosystem. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Jason Lee/The Sun News via AP

There’s a hungry Arctic predator with a lot of arms that eats dead polar bears

Starfish sit higher in the food chain than expected

Thousands of small starfish wash ashore during low tide on Garden City Beach, S.C., Monday, June 29, 2020. A Canadian national research group says it has proven that seastars are tied with polar bears as the top predator of the coastal Arctic marine ecosystem. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Jason Lee/The Sun News via AP
Kirk frees moose. (Facebook)

Princeton man jumps into action to cut moose loose from fence

Couple stops to free distressed animal

Kirk frees moose. (Facebook)
Anthony Bucci photographed a bald eagle in Blackfish Sound last fall as it swooped down on a herring ball. (Anthony Bucci Photography)

North Island photographer’s bald eagle photo Canada’s choice for international contest

Anthony Bucci lives in the North Island and has his own wildlife touring business

Anthony Bucci photographed a bald eagle in Blackfish Sound last fall as it swooped down on a herring ball. (Anthony Bucci Photography)
Sterling captured the birth of an elephant seal pup on Jan. 13, the second birth of the season on Race Rocks. (Courtesy of Derek Sterling)

VIDEO: Victoria volunteer captures ‘awesome’ elephant seal birth

Derek Sterling is living on Race Rocks to help maintain the equipment and manage the wildlife

Sterling captured the birth of an elephant seal pup on Jan. 13, the second birth of the season on Race Rocks. (Courtesy of Derek Sterling)
A Little Brown Bat is shown in a handout photo. A disease that has been nearly wiping out bat populations in eastern Canada and the U.S. has made its first appearance in Alberta. White Nose Syndrome, a fungus that starves bats to death by interrupting their winter hibernation, was identified in several locations in the province last year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Cory Olson, WCS Canada

Bat fungus that causes fatal White-Nose Syndrome makes first appearances in Alberta

‘It’s not a lot of bats that can survive this disease.’

A Little Brown Bat is shown in a handout photo. A disease that has been nearly wiping out bat populations in eastern Canada and the U.S. has made its first appearance in Alberta. White Nose Syndrome, a fungus that starves bats to death by interrupting their winter hibernation, was identified in several locations in the province last year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Cory Olson, WCS Canada
A cougar sighting prompted a short ‘hold and secure’ at a West Shore elementary school Wednesday (Jan. 11). (Black Press Media file photo)

Cougar sighting prompts brief ‘hold and secure’ at West Shore elementary school

Doors were locked at Eagle View Elementary for about an hour Wednesday

A cougar sighting prompted a short ‘hold and secure’ at a West Shore elementary school Wednesday (Jan. 11). (Black Press Media file photo)