Wildlife

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)
There’s a family of four red pandas at the Greater Vancouver Zoo, following the delivery of twin cubs – one girl, one boy – last June. Now they need names. (Screengrab Greater Vancouver Zoo)

Twin red panda cubs need names

Greater Vancouver Zoo in Aldergrove is holding a contest for naming rights – prizes included

There’s a family of four red pandas at the Greater Vancouver Zoo, following the delivery of twin cubs – one girl, one boy – last June. Now they need names. (Screengrab Greater Vancouver Zoo)
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)

VIDEO: J-pod orcas ride a fast ocean current in a narrow passage off Nanaimo

Runner captures video of southern resident killer whales in Dodds Narrows on Feb. 14

  • Feb 16, 2023
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)
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

β€˜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

Climate change and β€˜The Blob’ is changing the 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
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
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
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

  • Jan 27, 2023
A black bear mother and cub fish for salmon in a creek near Ucluelet. (Westerly file photo)
Kirk frees moose. (Facebook)
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)

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

β€˜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
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)
A sign at the entrance to town warns of the recent cougar activity Sunday, June 21, 2009 in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alta. A large cougar is prowling a tiny but densely populated island just off Nanaimo, B.C., and officials with the Environment Ministry say conservation officers are keeping a close eye on the situation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ian Martens

Community of Protection Island, near Nanaimo, wary as large cougar moves in

Conservation officers have received numerous calls about the large cat, are keeping a watchful eye

A sign at the entrance to town warns of the recent cougar activity Sunday, June 21, 2009 in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alta. A large cougar is prowling a tiny but densely populated island just off Nanaimo, B.C., and officials with the Environment Ministry say conservation officers are keeping a close eye on the situation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ian Martens
Olive doesn’t mind the snow if there are treats involved (Jacqueline Gelineau/Capital News)
Olive doesn’t mind the snow if there are treats involved (Jacqueline Gelineau/Capital News)