By Maria Ionova
Rudolph — in all his plastic glory – could soon become the only reindeer seen in the province of Ontario. Environmental scientists worry that non-fictional reindeer – or woodland caribou – may become extinct if their plummeting population cant recover quickly enough.
Since the introduction of the Endangered Species Act in 2007, the woodland caribou population has been a hot topic among the environmental community.
Reindeer are threatened because they have virtually vanished in the northern region and are, at this stage, considered to be in great danger of disappearing altogether. Only dispersed herds remain in Northern Ontario.
The exact count of the current population is unknown aside from the [...]
Ontario reindeer threatened
Where have the birds gone?
By Steve Howard
Where have the birds gone?
One species has declined by 52% over the last twenty years. Another has declined 54% in the same time frame. Another has dropped 29%. Another 28%.
These are not species of insects from a foreign continent. They are small insect eating birds in Ontario.
According to The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario, the population of aerial insectivores, or small insect-eating birds have steadily decline in Ontario over the last twenty years. Why these birds are declining and what can be done to reverse the trend is a question that continues to baffle scientists.
Mike Cadman, who is with the Canadian Wildlife Services and helped [...]
Polar Bears: Poster animals for peril
By Carrie Simmons
Polar bears.
These marine mammals have long been the poster animals for climate change. Dramatic photos of members of this iconic species standing atop melting ice floes represent the declining health of the North, and are seen on posters and websites worldwide. Perhaps appropriately so, as the bears themselves have faced with some of the worst effects of climate change to date this Fall. Reports of cannibalism and infanticide in bear populations are the latest in a series of the negative consequences of polar warming.
Ursus martimus, the polar bear, is found exclusively around the Arctic Circle in Canada, Norway, the United States and Russia. They [...]
Disappearing Bees
By Colin Schultz
Blueberries. Cherries. Raspberries.
It sounds like a perfect summertime snack, but it’s also a list of what might be off the shelves if the honeybee isn’t saved.
All across Canada, western honeybees (apis mellifera) have been dying out steadily over the last few years. Even with some promising research, local beekeepers are having problems saving their hives.
Dave Gale, 51, has been working as a beekeeper for the last 27 years, 25 of which have been spent at his home-based ‘Dave’s Apiaries’ in London, Ontario.
“We’ve had losses as high as 30%. This year was good, but the last few years have all been around 30%,” said Gale.
When beekeepers open their hives [...]