Wildlife

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

 

A black bear mother and cub fish for salmon in a creek near Ucluelet. (Westerly file photo)

B.C. communities chase better strategies for living with bears and cougars

Human behaviour needs to shift for coexistence with wildlife, say specialists

 

Kirk frees moose. (Facebook)

Princeton man jumps into action to cut moose loose from fence

Couple stops to free distressed animal

 

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

B.C. photographer’s bald eagle photo Canada’s choice for international contest

Anthony Bucci lives on northern Vancouver 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’s setup where he captured the seal pup’s birth. (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’s setup where he captured the seal pup’s birth. (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
Biologist and bird count data compiler Heidi van Vliet and Martin Angelstad peer through binoculars across Buttertubs Marsh during the Nanaimo Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 27 when the Millstone River topped its banks and flowed across the trail. (Photo submitted)

Nanaimo’s birds get counted over Christmas in spite of ‘fowl’ weather

Dark-eyed juncos most common, followed by seagulls and robins

Biologist and bird count data compiler Heidi van Vliet and Martin Angelstad peer through binoculars across Buttertubs Marsh during the Nanaimo Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 27 when the Millstone River topped its banks and flowed across the trail. (Photo submitted)
The bald eagle that was brought into the Atlantic Veterinary College hospital in Prince Edward Island after being hit by a car in October 2021 is shown in a handout photo. The eagle is doing well and settling in a new home. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Atlantic Veterinary College **MANDATORY CREDIT**

Prince Edward Island bald eagle receives rare surgery, heads to new home in Halifax

Bird believed to be only second in the world to receive surgery for a spinal cord compression

The bald eagle that was brought into the Atlantic Veterinary College hospital in Prince Edward Island after being hit by a car in October 2021 is shown in a handout photo. The eagle is doing well and settling in a new home. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Atlantic Veterinary College **MANDATORY CREDIT**
A peacock is seen in Surrey’s Sullivan Heights neighbourhood. In 2022, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said one of the wackier calls it received was about a peacock seeking shelter in someone’s home. (Credit: Amy Reid)

Peacock seeking shelter, ram seeking mate top wacky calls to B.C. Conservation in 2022

Conservation officers received over 30,000 calls last year, some more unique than others

A peacock is seen in Surrey’s Sullivan Heights neighbourhood. In 2022, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said one of the wackier calls it received was about a peacock seeking shelter in someone’s home. (Credit: Amy Reid)
(Langley Advance Times files)

Family of two-year-old bitten by bears sues Greater Vancouver Zoo

Child suffered broken bone, scarring, partially amputated finger, lawsuit claims

(Langley Advance Times files)
Claudia Copley, an entomologist at the Royal BC Museum, on the hunt for spiders. Copley is one of three biologists asked to champion a less lovable endangered species by Canada’s National Observer. (Photo by Jennifer Heron)

B.C. biologists standing up for at-risk slugs and bugs

The slimy, creepy creatures are worth saving too, researchers say

  • Jan 3, 2023
Claudia Copley, an entomologist at the Royal BC Museum, on the hunt for spiders. Copley is one of three biologists asked to champion a less lovable endangered species by Canada’s National Observer. (Photo by Jennifer Heron)
Olive doesn’t mind the snow if there are treats involved (Jacqueline Gelineau/Capital News)

A snow-loving pig, a Ferrari-riding snake: Some of B.C.’s top animal stories of 2022

These animal encounters had people smiling all year long

Olive doesn’t mind the snow if there are treats involved (Jacqueline Gelineau/Capital News)
A family of black bears cross a highway in Canada. (Liam Brenna/Submitted)

Wildlife overpasses not wide enough: University of B.C. study

UBC research indicates issues in wildlife overpasses

A family of black bears cross a highway in Canada. (Liam Brenna/Submitted)
Trail cameras were used to help monitor the movement of Tempest, a wolf at the Greater Vancouver Zoo. (BC Trappers Association)

Tranquilizer darts used to recapture wolves in Aldergrove escape: government documents

Emails also showed tips came in from as far afield as Surrey claiming to have seen a wolf

Trail cameras were used to help monitor the movement of Tempest, a wolf at the Greater Vancouver Zoo. (BC Trappers Association)
Catherine Babault releases Vancouver Island Marmot, The World’s Rarest Marmot, on Dec. 21. Catherine Babault photo

Vancouver Island photographer releases book about Vancouver Island marmot

Books explores efforts to save one of the Island’s high-profile endangered species

Catherine Babault releases Vancouver Island Marmot, The World’s Rarest Marmot, on Dec. 21. Catherine Babault photo
Baby humpback whale playing just west of Portland Island in Juneau in 2021. (Credit: Kristin Stekoll)

Endangered wildlife committee keeps B.C’s humpback whales on the list

Population has grown, but risk remains

  • Dec 19, 2022
Baby humpback whale playing just west of Portland Island in Juneau in 2021. (Credit: Kristin Stekoll)
Delegates take souvenir photos during a snowfall outside the convention centre at the COP15 UN conference on biodiversity in Montreal, Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Governments move closer to deal at biodiversity conference

China’s draft deal calls for greater protection, $200B raised by 2030

Delegates take souvenir photos during a snowfall outside the convention centre at the COP15 UN conference on biodiversity in Montreal, Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
Ucluelet senior Katharine Fleming’s SUV was one of 35 vehicles that West Coast black bears broke into this year. (Andrew Bailey photo)

Bears broke into 35 vehicles in Tofino-Ucluelet this year

Eight bears were killed after becoming food-conditioned past the point of no return

Ucluelet senior Katharine Fleming’s SUV was one of 35 vehicles that West Coast black bears broke into this year. (Andrew Bailey photo)
FILE - A monarch butterfly pauses in a garden, July 11, 2021, in Marple Township, Pa. Populations of a vulnerable species of marine mammal, numerous species of abalone and a type of Caribbean coral are now threatened with extinction, an international conservation organization said Friday, Dec. 9, 2022. The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List includes more than 150,000 species, including the monarch butterfly. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

Dugong, coral, abalone face extinction threat: conservation watchdog

International Union for Conservation of Nature at United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity

FILE - A monarch butterfly pauses in a garden, July 11, 2021, in Marple Township, Pa. Populations of a vulnerable species of marine mammal, numerous species of abalone and a type of Caribbean coral are now threatened with extinction, an international conservation organization said Friday, Dec. 9, 2022. The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List includes more than 150,000 species, including the monarch butterfly. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
Workers set up the Montreal Convention Centre in preparation for the COP15 UN conference on biodiversity in Montreal, Friday, Dec. 2, 2022. A major international conference on preserving the world’s biodiversity is to open Tuesday with speakers including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Nature ‘under attack’ says Trudeau as UN biodiversity conference opens in Montreal

196 countries being asked to hammer out a deal to save and restore ecosystems

Workers set up the Montreal Convention Centre in preparation for the COP15 UN conference on biodiversity in Montreal, Friday, Dec. 2, 2022. A major international conference on preserving the world’s biodiversity is to open Tuesday with speakers including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson