The Northern Climate Observer

The Northern
Climate Observer

When wolves get hungry One of the categories we use to qualify wildlife reports in LEO Network is "Unusual Behavior". This fall in Canada, it has been the most frequent event category reported. As for human impacts, the two leading categories were "Safety" and "Pets". An increase in the frequency of wolf - human interactions has been the driver. In early November a wolf dragged a husky mix from a home in Whitehorse and killed it. Conservations officers indicated that there was more than one wolf involved in the attack. Then in late November a woman walking with her dogs in Yellowknife was followed by a pack of nine wolves and resorted to yelling and waving her ski poles to keep them away. Wildlife officers advised residents to exercise extreme caution when walking and to keep their dogs on a leash. Just two weeks later a dog was reported mauled and killed in the same area. What is driving wolves to come closer around communities and why the unusual predatory behavior? One possible explanation is the impact from recent fires on wolf habitat. Fred Sangris, the chief of Ndilǫ, Dene First Nation described the loss of habitat that has occurred since this year's record wildfires that burned 4.1 million hectars, mostly in the North Slave region. Note: "wildfires" was the leading LEO Network event category for the summer of 2023 in Canada. Said Sangris, "fires burned a lot of land in the region and drove away the wolves' prey. The only food the small mammals can depend on, including the fox, is right here at the city dump and people's garbage." Reports of wolf - human interactions have occurred recently in Alaska and Canada. An indication that wolves are in trouble and that the impacts of climate change on wildlife, humans and pets are complex, interconnected and important for community health. You can read about the wolf situation this year in the attached articles, or view a tailored LEO Network search on the topic here. Mike Brubaker, Editor

	Pack of wolves north of Yellowknife reported stalking hikers, pets Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada CBC / November 26, 2023 The N.W.T. Department of Environment and Climate Change has warned anyone using trails north of Yellowknife to use "extreme caution" after wildlife officers reported a pack of wolves stalking a hiker and their dogs in the area on Saturday. Read article on CBC
	Prey driven away by wildfire, YKDFN Chief says wolves are turning to Yellowknife for food Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada Liny Lamberink · / CBC / Fred Sangris said there isn't a big population of wolves in the area of Yellowknife, Ndilǫ and Dettah — but sightings are happening more often because they're hungry and venturing near communities in search of food. Read article on CBC
	Unseasonably warm temperatures leave winter athletes in Fort Simpson, N.W.T., in the lurch Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, Canada Natalie Pressman / CBC / December 4, 2023 In Fort Simpson, the weather is still not cold enough to open the community's ice rink. Young athletes in the community say they are struggling to adapt. Read article on CBC
	Caribou arrive in the Northwest Arctic region Kotzebue, Alaska, United States Anchorage Daily News / November 22, 2023 The Western Arctic Caribou Herd has been declining for years, and the migration patterns of the animals have been changing. In several locations in Northwest Alaska, caribou have been arriving later and later in the season. Friday last week, people in Kotzebue finally started seeing caribou — hundreds of them ― crossing the Kotzebue Sound north of town, coming from the Noatak riverside. Ice conditions are one of the reasons for the caribou’s late migration, said Thomas Baker, chair of the Northwest Arctic Subsistence Regional Advisory Council. Read article on Anchorage Daily News
	At least 3 dead in Wrangell after landslide destroys homes Wrangell, Alaska, United States Sage Smiley, KSTK - Wrangell / Alaska Public Media / November 21, 2023 A landslide in Wrangell, Alaska, killed three people, destroyed homes, and left three missing after heavy rainfall triggered the disaster. Read article on Alaska Public Media
	Thousands of tons of dead sardines wash ashore in northern Japan Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan AP News / December 8, 2023 The sardines and some mackerel washed ashore in Hakodate on Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido on Thursday morning, creating a sliver blanket along a stretch of beach about a kilometer (0.6 mile) long. Takashi Fujioka, a Hakodate Fisheries Research Institute said the fish may have been chased by larger fish, become exhausted due to a lack of oxygen while moving in a densely packed school, and were washed up by the waves. Read article on AP News
	Minister Alarmed by Plastic Pollution on Eldey Island Eldey Island, Iceland Ragnar Tómas / Iceland Review / December 13, 2023 The expedition revealed that gannets have easy access to plastic, as their nests are mostly made from plastic debris. Hundreds of dead gannets were also observed by the experts, with it being estimated that three factors played a role in their deaths: natural attrition, bird flu, and plastic pollution. Read article on Iceland Review
	Rare fin whale found dead near Kodiak Kodiak, Alaska, United States Brian Venua, KMXT - Kodiak / Alaska Public Media / December 12, 2023 A rare, emaciated fin whale was found dead near Kodiak, Alaska, with the local Sun'aq Tribe conducting a necropsy. There isn’t enough data for biologists to declare a trend yet, but these whales are being found on the heels of an unusual mortality event for gray whales in the Pacific Ocean. Read article on Alaska Public Media

The Northern Climate Observer is published by the Center for Climate and Health. We track news coverage from across the circumpolar north and provide readers with a curated roundup of climate change related events. Thank you for reading our newsletter and for paying attention to our changing world.

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Northern Climate Observer

The Northern Climate Observer is published weekly by the Center for Climate and Health. We track news from across the circumpolar north and provide readers with a curated roundup of climate change related events.

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Northern Climate Observer

The Northern
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