LEO Network

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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

Here winter has become two months shorter
Winter will never be the way it was, according to scientists. Towards the end of the century, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute predicts that the winter weather will gradually disappear from Oslo.
Bodø, Nordland, Norway
NRK

Southern temperatures in Northern Norway – warmer in Narvik than in Rome
This morning it was as hot in Narvik as in Rome and Istanbul, and far warmer than countries in southern Europe. However, the mild air is on the wane.
Narvik, Nordland, Norway
NRK

Animal tragedy in the Oslo fjord
Hundreds of guillemots go astray in the Oslo fjord every autumn. Many are now starving in the food-poor fjord.
Oslofjorden, Oslo, Norway
NRK

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

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

Fire Updates: Smoke Intensifies, River Complex Estimated Containment Date Oct. 1
A handful of fires burning east of Humboldt continued to grow overnight with minimal containment, bringing air quality and travel impacts. Parts of State Route 36 have reopened to controlled traffic. Overall hot, dry conditions are expected to complicate fire suppression efforts.
Junction City, California, United States
North Coast Journal

He has lived for 74 years – for the first time the river is dry
Extreme drought in the west means that households with private waterworks are out of water. Elvar's dried up. "The situation is very serious," he says.
Skinlo, Breim, Vestland, Norway

Such was the temperature in July
It's been a hot July. In fact, it was the 10th warmest in 120 years.
Lakselv, Troms og Finnmark Fylke, Norway

There's a lot of flies in the mountains and heat, but there are things you can do to cope
Millions of small black flies have taken over mountains and hiking trails. "I thought it was horrible," says Pernille Frøskeland.
Skrovtinden, Reipå, Nordland, Norway
Sofie Retterstøl Olaisen, Emma Skau Solås

Tick found on dog on Anchorage Hillside
An unidentified tick was found on the nose of a dog in the backyard of a home in south Anchorage. Neither the family nor their pet had been traveling recently. The identification of the tick species is pending.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Gambell gets distemper outbreak under control
The community of Gambell fought a distemper outbreak among its dog population this spring and managed to squash the epidemic in its early onset. Distemper is a deadly disease that can afflict dogs and wildlife alike and also has been documented in the North Atlantic to jump from dogs to marine mammals like seals.
Gambell, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Coyote (Canis latrans) at Rabbit Creek
Coyotes, first documented in Anchorage around 1900, are not often seen in Anchorage. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game estimates coyote population abundance using the Trapper Questionnaire reports, and consider the Kenai Peninsula, Copper River Valley and Mat-Su Valley to have the highest coyote population densities.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Dust Devil at Ringerike: Never seen anything like this
"It seemed like a normal day. It just showed up," says Torolv Røberg about the weather phenomenon. The dust devil was at least 100 meters high.
Steinssletta, Ringerike, Norway
Anders Wam Bjerkeseth, Laila Nguyen Engebretsen

State watching rabies attacks, new strain potential issue
A recent spate of attacks on humans and pets by foxes in Topsham may be in part due to a new strain of rabies. As of April 18, there have been five such attacks in Topsham this year. State Veterinarian Michele Walsh theorizes a rabies strain more associated with raccoons has begun infecting gray foxes.
Topsham, Maine, United States
Press Herald

Two dogs get sick after Chilkoot visits
An unknown substance near the Chilkoot River made dogs sick twice this month. The pet owners had to make their animals vomit and the dogs needed
Lutak, Alaska, United States
Chilkat Valley News

YKHC Urges Pets Get Rabies Vaccines After Rabid Foxes Found
Three foxes from three Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta communities have tested positive for rabies in recent weeks.
Nightmute, Alaska, United States
KYUK

“Send help now”: Two mushers describe the events that led to their rescue from the Kobuk 440 race trail
After he lost the trail, Jeff King stopped his dog team and draped his sleeping bag over his head to block the battering wind and blowing snow. He was somewhere between the villages of Ambler and Shungnak in the Kobuk 440 Sled Dog Race. Conditions ranged from howling to furious. King lay down with his team. He cuddled a dog named Twister and tried to sleep. That’s when a flaw in the plan rattled his bones. The work of getting there had caused him to sweat, dampness worsened by blowing snow that found its way inside his clothing.
Shungnak, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

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

Suspected bird flu after swan death in Fredrikstad
Knut-André Haugen found two dead swans with their heads under their wings outside Fredrikstad. Now the Norwegian Food Safety Authority suspects further spread of bird flu.
Skjærvika, Østfold, Norway
VG Verdens gang

Red Fox Rabies Outbreak in Nome
The head of Alaska’s Wildlife Disease and Health Surveillance Program confirms that the City of Nome has a higher than normal case count of rabies in the red fox population. Usually in winter, most of the cases come from Prudhoe Bay and Utqiagvik. This winter most of the cases are from Nome, as well as from Kivalina and other villages around Kotzebue.
Nome, Alaska, United States
KNOM Radio Mission

Wolves finding new homes in southern Sweden
In recent months, there have been a number of reported wolf sightings in Southern Sweden, an unusual occurrence in this part of the country.
Malmö, Skåne, Sweden
Radio Sweden

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

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

Blue Russian Dogs Spotted Near Abandoned Factory
A pack of stray blue dogs, likely covered in chemical waste, was spotted on the road near the Russian town of Dzerzhinsk. The dogs may have been exposed to chemicals at a nearby abandoned factory that produced plexiglass and hydrocyanic acid, giving their fur the eye-catching blue color.
Dzerzhinsk, Nizjnij Novgorod, Russia
The Moscow Times

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
CBC

Pine Siskin Salmonellosis Outbreak
An outbreak of salmonellosis among pine siskins in North Saanich, British Columbia, Canada may be linked to an increased population, migratory irruption, and the use of bird feeders during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
North Saanich, British Columbia, Canada

Kennel cough is ripping through Anchorage dog parks, and veterinarians recommend social distancing for pets
The highly contagious infection can lead to pneumonia and hits puppies, older dogs and dogs with health problems the hardest. Vaccination against kennel cough protects for about year.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

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

Unusual Winter Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) Sighting
Although bears may hibernate for different lengths of time during winter, winter bear activity is an uncommon sight for Alaska Peninsula residents.
Nelson Lagoon, Alaska, United States

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