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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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Foxes 'attack from nowhere' says Igloolik woman
She was then driven immediately to the hospital, where she got treatment for a potential rabies infection. Over the past month, there has been an increase in fox sightings and cases of rabies in foxes in the communities of Igloolik and Iqaluit. A fox was confirmed to have rabies in Igloolik on Dec. 14, while two foxes have been reported to have rabies in Iqaluit over the past five weeks.
Igloolik, Nunavut, Canada
Nunatsiaq News

Polar bear with cub visits Diomede School
John Ahkvaluk , 56, a polar bear guard revealed that this is not a good sign for the village. It’s the first time in several years that bears come at this time of the year. “It’s a warning that they got no food out there and they came looking for it here,” he said.
After the incident, Luchie Manlangit, the school principal, and I invited John Ahkvaluk to talk to the kids and to share some protocols if polar bear will come around again.
Diomede, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Buzzards settle in North Carolina town despite scare tactics
One resident of Bunn, North Carolina, says she counted 58 buzzards — probably turkey vultures — in her yard, on her roof and on a fence. Town officials seem unable to get the birds to leave.
Bunn, North Carolina, United States
WFAE 90.7

Rare clash between two distinct kinds of orcas in the Salish Sea — and the endangered fish-eaters won
Two distinct species of orcas feed and socialize in the waters of Puget Sound: fish-eating endangered southern resident killer whales and transient, or Bigg’s, killer whales, which feed on marine mammals and are more common. They seldom mix.
Point Roberts, Washington, United States
KNKX Public Radio

Otters are mysteriously attacking people and dogs in Alaska's largest city: "Unusual behaviors"
Because of the risk to public safety, efforts will be made to locate this group of river otters and remove them, Fish and Game said.
University Lake
CBS News

Urban deer distribution pattern changes in Southwest Calgary
The development of the Southwest Calgary Ring Road has resulted in alterations into the use of the area by deer. The combination of construction disturbances, removal of habitat, and presence of a linear barrier has seemingly resulted in fewer deer being observed in the neighborhood of Woodbine.
Woodbine, Calgary

Whale feeding frenzy off NSW south coast
A mega-pod of more than 100 humpback whales have been spotted in a feeding frenzy off the NSW south coast.The aquatic mammals often pass through Bermagui with their young on their long journey back to Antarctica from the warmer northern waters. The whales were seen working together to catch a large school of bait fish. It's only the second time the spectacle has been caught on film - after a mega-pod was witnessed feeding at the same spot last year.
Bermagui, New South Wales, Australia
dailytelegraph

River otter attacks 9-year-old boy at East Anchorage pond
“The fact that an otter attacked a person was certainly surprising,” said a wildlife biologist with Fish and Game, who added that it’s hard to know what the motivation behind the otter’s “unusual behavior” was.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

In Tanana, a lone wolf is taking sled dogs
“Right now the people who have dogs in their yards are very concerned. This is happening at night when it’s dark, so everybody is on edge.” - Tanana First Chief
Tanana, Alaska, United States
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Five dolphins die in 'highly unusual stranding event'
The dolphins were part of a group of more than 50 that got into difficulty in the Cromarty Firth.
Invergordon, Scotland, United Kingdom
BBC News

Rare footage shows a polar bear hunt a swimming reindeer
Rare footage shot by a researcher expedition in Norway shows a polar bear hunting and catching a swimming adult reindeer. The video, captured by Mateusz Gruszka, a cook for an expedition of Polish researchers in August 2021 on the Svalbard archipelago, shows the bear catching the reindeer and drowning it before dragging it ashore.
Svalbard Archipelago
ArcticToday

When polar bears hunt snow geese, hunger justifies the means
At this time of year, the geese are moulting — and therefore unable to fly — so they congregate near ponds to avoid the Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus), which is reluctant to jump into the water. But the bear was about to use a new hunting technique: he dove under the water, disappeared from the eyes of the geese who had stopped fleeing, and emerged from underneath one of them.
Bylot Island, Nunavut Canada
NNSL Media

Killer whale stranded on Prince of Wales Island frees itself
A killer whale that beached itself on Prince of Wales Island on Thursday has freed itself, according to federal biologists.
Craig, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Coast Guard rescues man after being pounced, stalked by grizzly
By Julia Lerner Richard Jessee, a longtime summer miner, survived an aggressive bear attack near his cabin last week.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Coyote bites another Stanley Park jogger a week after 4 of the animals put down
The BC Conservation Officer Service said the latest attack happened around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday night, while a woman was jogging along the seawall.
West End, British Columbia, Canada
Global News

'Unprecedented' absence of southern resident killer whales from Salish Sea
The most common pod of southern resident killer whales who migrate to the Salish Sea during the summer have not been seen for than 100 days, marking a highly unusual absence from their historic summer hunting ground, according to researchers.
Salish Sea
Vancouver Island

Man mauled by bear off Richardson Highway near Gulkana in Southcentral Alaska
The 61-year-old man was flown to an Anchorage hospital for treatment of his injuries, troopers said.
Gulkana, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Melting Arctic ice reduces bowhead whale migration
Researchers in Canada find that population did not bother making the 6,000km roundtrip in 2018-2019
Bearing, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas
the Guardian

Costco customers share experiences of raven thefts
Costco customers in Anchorage have recently started sharing online reports of ravens stealing groceries from their carts and the back of their pickup trucks, and biologists say the behavior could spread around town quickly.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Nome and region is in the midst of a rabies epidemic
Nome and the surrounding area, including St. Lawrence Island, is fighting rabies almost as hard as it is fighting COVID-19. Because of the high level of rabies infection Fish and Game requested assistance from the National Rabies Management Response Program. Their job is to manage a wildlife disease outbreak. Several technicians and a rabies biologist are in Nome reducing the number of foxes.
Gambell, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

A lynx, a toddler and a bizarre encounter in an Anchorage Hillside driveway
A wildlife biologist believes a lynx that recently approached a young girl may have been a juvenile. The girl’s father said he’s now on higher alert after the encounter.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Mysterious disease killing young California bears in Tahoe. One symptom: fearlessness
Young black bears, with no fear of people, are coming down with fatal brain inflammation in Nevada and California. Could new viruses be causing the disease? State veterinarians say that in the past 12 months alone, officials have captured three other bears with the same condition.
Truckee, California, United States
The Sacramento Bee

Harp seal pups dying on beach as winter sea ice fails
A harp seal pup sits on a snow-covered beach near the town of Blanc-Sablon, Québec, in early March. Normally harp seals give birth and raise their pups on sea ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, but this year’s ice coverage is at an all-time low, throwing pups’ survival into jeopardy.
Blanc-Sablon, Quebec, Canada
National Geographic

Rescuers monitor whale pod off New Zealand amid rebeaching fears
Rescuers were monitoring a pod of pilot whales swimming just off the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island late on Tuesday after more than a dozen of the group were killed in a mass stranding.
Takaka, Tasman, New Zealand
Reuters

B.C. farmer grabs lynx by scruff of neck, scolds it for killing chickens
A farmer in northern B.C. captured a wild cat he found in his chicken coop, picking it up by the scruff of the neck and gently scolding it before putting it into a dog kennel and relocating it further out in the bush. The lynx was so skinny that the farmer left the two dead chickens with the animal.
Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
CBC

Unusual Bird Sighting May Be a Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator)
Unidentified birds may be Pine Grosbeaks (*Pinicola enucleator*), whose species range extends to some parts of the Alaska Peninsula.
Sand Point, Alaska, United States

Lynx killed by ENR officers
The wildcat showed no hesitancy in actively interacting with people or traffic an ENR spokesperson said. It was likely the animal involved in other interactions with pets.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

Woman gets surprise bite while using outhouse
When he heard something had bitten his sister, Erik Stevens grabbed a light and went to investigate. "I shined the headlamp and opened the lid, and right there at the level of the toilet seat was a cinnamon-colored bear face, big enough to fill the hole."
Haines, Alaska, United States
Chilkat Valley News

Lone lynx likely culprit behind pair of Yellowknife dog attacks, biologist says
On Monday, Shania Tymchatyn saved one of her dogs from a lynx, and Yellowknife kennel owner Trevor Lizotte says one of the big cats attacked his dog team last week.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

Dog attacks not typical lynx behaviour, says Yukon biologist
Twice in the last couple of weeks, dog have been attacked by lynx. Biologist Tom Jung says climate change may be a factor, affecting the amount of food available. Snowshoe hares in Yukon are now in about the third year of decline.
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada

Man mauled by bear while backcountry skiing in Southeast Alaska
The man was injured on his face and hands. Two members in the skiers party assisted with his injuries and communicate for help in 15 degree temperatures with sunset approaching. It was not immediately clear what triggered the mauling about 10 miles northwest of Haines.
Haines, Alaska, United States

Women jump on attacking lynx to save dog
Two women in Beaver Creek, say they jumped on a lynx to pull it away from a dog it attacked. The lynx, its mouth latched onto the dog's face, would not let go.
Beaver Creek, Yukon, Canada

Male grizzly euthanized near Braeburn
Yukon conservation officers have euthanized a grizzly bear that was originally sighted near Braeburn.
Aishihik, Yukon, Canada
Yukon News

Killer whale rescued after getting stranded on remote Scottish beach
The BDMLR scrambled to help the orca with the help of locals in Orkney.
Orkney, Scotland, United Kingdom
Metro

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