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The LEO Network is a worldwide network of observers and experts that share their observations of environmental change.
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Observations

Rankin Inlet outdoorsman notices changing caribou behaviour
Mike Shouldice of Rankin Inlet reports this summer’s caribou migration patterns have shifted, with far fewer animals passing through traditional routes and fewer visible signs such as hanging skins.
Rankin Inlet, Kivalliq, Nunavut, Canada
NNSL Media

Wild orcas have been trying to feed people, new research shows
On more than 30 occasions and across four oceans, orcas have attempted to share their prey with people, potentially to develop relationships with humans, researchers have found.
Seattle, Washington, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Anxiety Drugs Found in Rivers Make Salmon Take More Risks
A new study reports that Atlantic salmon exposed to the anti-anxiety drug clobazam during migration became bolder, passing through hydropower dams faster, though this behavior might increase predation risk later.
River Dal, Sweden
KBBI

Ask a Wildlife Biologist: Why do moose lick cars?
Vehicles accumulate dirt, which has minerals, and minerals are hard to come by in the environment during winter. Salt could certainly be one of the minerals they seek as sodium is a driver of appetite, but it is possible it could be another type of mineral they’re after—hard to say for sure without getting a profile of the dirt.
Denali National Park, Alaska, United States

New conservation program on Alaska’s North Slope to offset Willow drilling impact
A new conservation initiative allows the Nuiqsut community and its Native corporation to oversee 1 million acres around Teshekpuk Lake to protect caribou habitat from oil drilling impacts.
Nuiqsut, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Wolves hunt sea otters and seals, a startling find
Wolves in Katmai, Alaska, have been observed hunting sea otters and seals, suggesting a significant ecological link between land and marine life.
Katmai, Alaska
Animals

Residents in Fort Smith, N.W.T., seeing more bears in town this year
Some residents in Fort Smith, N.W.T., say they're seeing more bears in and around town this year, and it's not clear why.
Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

Bag upon bag of dead bird in Vadsø: 1000 seagulls were retrieved on Monday
No one knows how many birds are infected with avian influenza along the coast of Finnmark. In Vadsø, seagulls sit next to dozens of dead birds.
Vadsø, Finnmark Fylke, Norway
NRK
Sarah Yoder, Bob Gerlach, Andrew Ramey, Lars Flora

PAWS of Nome seeks funding for bark park, wildlife fencing
With recent events between Musk ox, humans, and dogs, Nome looks for solutions to mitigate the problem. As they graze on patches of grass, often within city limits, the potential for dog conflict and even human interactions are becoming common.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Orcas have sunk 3 boats in Europe and appear to be teaching others to do the same. But why?
Scientists think a traumatized orca initiated the assault on boats after a "critical moment of agony" and that the behavior is spreading among the population through social learning.
Straits of Gilbratar
livescience.com

Researchers struggle to find out if windmills scare reindeer
A video of the reindeer on the steps of the wind turbine has caused wonder. Aren't the animals intimidated by wind power anyway? Here are some reasons why it is so difficult to find clear facts and secure figures.
Tromsø, Troms, Norway
NRK

No deer, no problem: Sea otters become main course for this Southeast Alaska wolf pack
The pack killed all the black-tailed deer on the island and another established pack back on the mainland was preventing their return. Scientists assumed they would die off from starvation.
Pleasant Island, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Polar bear in fatal Wales attack was in poor health
A polar bear that killed a young mother and her baby last month in western Alaska was likely an older animal in poor physical condition.
Wales, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Rare attack in Alaska renews interest in polar bear patrols
For isolated communities at the top of the world, keeping the planet’s largest land predators -- polar bears -- out of town is key to coexistence.
Wales, Alaska, United States
AP NEWS

Southeast Alaska wolves eat over 60 prey species, study finds — including sea otter
A study – now in its eighth year – has found a remarkably diverse diet among the region’s wolf population. Sea otter has become a primary source of food.
Petersburg, Alaska, United States
KTOO

HPAI confirmed on Yukon Delta NWR
Birds that USFWS sent in from the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) for testing for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have tested positive. Sabines gulls, glaucous gulls, and black brant all tested positive for HPAI.
Newtok, Alaska, United States
Raphaela Stimmelmayr, Bob Gerlach, Bryan Daniels, Michael Bruce, Angela Matz, Gay Sheffield, Brian Lefferts, Andrew Ramey, Louisa Castrodale, Eric Taylor, Dana Diehl

Researchers investigate Yukon Delta bird deaths amid avian flu outbreak
By Megan Gannon
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Migratory birds arriving in Alaska this year may bring avian flu with them
News of avian flu outbreaks in dozens of states in the lower 48 have wildlife managers and bird hunters on edge as the spring migration gets underway in Alaska.
Bethel, Alaska, United States
KYUK

Curious Alaska: Hold my berry — are Bohemian waxwings getting drunk on fermented fruit?
Bohemian waxwings are a wintertime fixture in Anchorage, darting in large flocks from one berry-filled tree to another.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Aggressive behaviour leads to Coyote Cull in Stanley Park
Coyotes in Stanley Park are displaying novel aggressive behaviour towards humans. Rates of aggressive encounters prompted park management to call for the cull of up to 35 coyotes and a temporary nighttime closure of the park.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Salmon may have been too tired to navigate Whitehorse fish ladder, research suggests
William Twardek, a Carleton University PhD student who's been studying Yukon River chinook salmon, says his four-year research project has found that some fish simply can't make it past the fish ladder to reach their spawning grounds.
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
CBC News

Group accidentally encountered a brown bear den before one of them was mauled near Haines
The man pretended to play dead during the attack and the bear ran away, a wildlife biologist said. He sustained injuries to his head and arms but troopers said he was in stable condition Monday.
Haines, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Hungry Alaskan Bears Find a New Prey
There is a unexplained trend with sea otter carcasses on the beaches in Katmai National Park and Preserve. Many of the dead animals appeared to be in their prime.
Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Hakai Magazine

Assembly makes plan to address Haines' bear problem
The Haines Borough Assembly’s Commerce Committee began chipping away at a plan to address the borough’s bear problem at a meeting Tuesday. Proposals ranged from stronger enforcement of bear-attractant laws, to the development of education and grant programs to help people secure their attractants, to a complete overhaul of the community’s solid waste management system.
Haines, Alaska, United States
Chilkat Valley News

Task force recommends seasonal hire to address town's bear problem
This year has seen a dramatic increase in bear activity with bear-related calls up by 600%, according to police chief Heath Scott. As many as 22 bears have been shot in defense of property this year.
Haines, Alaska, United States
Chilkat Valley News

Fish runs and berries are down, bear break-ins in Southeast Alaska are way up
Some biologists think the trend is related to the reduced hunting pressure from Outside hunters this year.

The number of people infected with coronavirus in Russia has reached 800,000
The number of deaths was more than 13,000
Moscow, Moscow, Russia
The Moscow Times in Russian

First federal assessment of Arctic Ocean finds drastic change
Changes are coming to the Arctic so fast that scientists haven't even had a chance to understand what's there
CBC

Haines Borough convenes task force to deal with roaming, dumpster-flipping bears
According to Haines Borough Police Chief Heath Scott, the department received 182 bear-related calls in 2019. That is more than double the number of bear-related calls they received the previous year. Said Fish and Game bear biologist Anthony Crupi, “With really low returns of pink salmon and coho salmon this year, bears are really searching out any opportunities they can find” .

On land, Australia's rising heat is 'apocalyptic'; in the ocean, it's even worse
BRUNY ISLAND, TASMANIA (WASHINGTON POST) - Even before the ocean caught fever and reached temperatures no one had ever seen, Australia's ancient giant kelp was cooked.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Australia
The Straits Times

Chukotka Proposed to Declare Polar Bear Encounters with Humans as Emergency Situations
Chukotka officials propose to classify polar bear sightings in populated areas as emergencies to mobilize resources for managing these situations.
Chukotka, Russia
IA Chukotka

Fight for survival in Norway's Arctic as climate warms
Climate change is making life difficult for the indigenous people - and wildlife - of the Sami region.
Finnmark, Norway
BBC News, Norway

As polar bears encroach on this Alaska village, feds charge whaling captain with illegally shooting one
As Arctic sea ice melts, polar bears are spending more time near the Alaska North Slope village of Kaktovik. Now, federal prosecutors have charging a whaling captain there with killing one in violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Kaktovik, Alaska, United States

Fox Stuns Scientists With Trek From Norway To Canada
A researcher says her team couldn't believe the distance travelled.
Arctic
HuffPost Canada

Meet the Narluga
A rare whale skull discovered by an Inuit hunter in Greenland has been confirmed by a Canadian scientist to be the hybrid calf of a beluga father and a narwhal mother — otherwise known as a narluga.
Disko Bay, West Greenland
The Narwhal

Climate change forces reindeer to resort to eating seaweed
Researchers have determined that, when ground ice is thicker, reindeer make for the coast. They don't eat kelp when they don't have to.
Svalbard
News Atlas

DEC says rabies found in eastern Adirondacks
Rabies reported in three towns in eastern Essex County
Champlain Valley, New York, United States
The Daily Gazette

Climate change forces Arctic animals to shift feeding habits: study
Seals and whales in the Arctic are shifting their feeding patterns as climate change alters their habitats, and the way they do so may determine whether they survive, a new study has found.
Svalbard, Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Phys.org

As Seas Warm, Galápagos Islands Face a Giant Evolutionary Test
Climate change is ravaging the natural laboratory that inspired Darwin. The creatures here are on the brink of crisis.
Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
New York Times

In a Transylvania Town, Bears and Humans Collide at the Dumpster
With their habitat shrinking, brown bears in Baile Tusnad, Romania, have turned to scavenging. Residents sit and gawk, environmentalists want to protect the animals, but hunters just want to hunt.
Băile Tușnad, Harghita, Romania
NY Times

A Record-Breaking Dive by a Hungry Killer Whale
Killer whales go to extraordinary depths to pilfer a meal.
South Sandwich Islands
Hakai Magazine

Albatross divorce rates up with ocean warming
A team of researchers has found that black-browed albatrosses living on the Falkland Islands see rising divorce rates during times when the sea surface temperatures rise. They point out that hunger could lead to one or the other partner abandoning an egg or hatchling—events that could lead to one of the birds ditching the other.
Falkland Islands
Phys.org

Fatal grizzly attack renews debate over how many bears are too many
The fatal grizzly attack in West Yellowstone has sparked a debate over the number of bears, with some arguing for delisting and state management to prevent future tragedies.
West Yellowstone, Montana, United States
NPR

Orcas aren’t attacking ships — they’re just playful teens, scientists say
Since 2020, members of a small group of killer whales have rammed into at least 673 vessels off the coasts of Portugal, Spain and Morocco — causing some to sink. The Spanish and Portuguese governments responded by tasking a group of experts with determining what was causing the whales to strike rudders, which are used to steer ships, and how to stop it.
Off the Coast of Portugal and Spain

‘Snakeworm’ mystery in Alaska yields species new to science
The snakeworm gnat larvae move in columns, possibly to frighten predators and to keep their fragile bodies moist when crossing dry ground.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States

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