Animals

Most animals have three choices to survive winter: migrate, hibernate, or cope with freezing temperatures. Many birds (and some humans) choose to migrate south to warmer places. Bears fatten up and sleep through winter in their dens. But aquatic animals have an extra challenge: freezing water. Few animals can withstand being frozen because the forming ice destroys cell membranes, so aquatic animals have “cool” adaptations.

We all want to get where we’re going, safely. Animal strikes are a major road safety issue, and an expensive one. No one wants to experience an elk suddenly crashing through their windshield. Yet, each year at least 200 collisions with large mammals occur on Highway 3 between Hosmer, BC and the Alberta border, costing society $2.8 million annually in injuries and property damage. Further east near Rock Creek in Alberta, 38 collisions a year are reported. More go unreported.

Columbia Basin Trust is providing $1.35 million to three new, large-scale projects that will improve ecosystems in the Elk Valley and Lower Columbia sub-regions, benefitting locally significant species including northern rubber boas, bull trout and Rocky Mountain elk among others, and their habitats.

The beauty of dogs is that they enrich our lives in so many ways. We find ourselves training our dogs to suit our lifestyles and in reality, they end up teaching us so much more. There are lots of ways you can return the favour, and one of those is by providing a healthy diet.

Once upon a time you had a small child in your home. This child loved to be with you, missed you when you were gone, came running into your arms when you returned, and could play with you all day. Though lacking a wagging tail, your small child was basically a dog.

Jesse joins Emma Van Tussenbroek, a wildlife technician for the South Rockies Grizzly Bear Project (SRGBP), in learning about bears.