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The LEO Network is a worldwide network of observers and experts that share their observations of environmental change.
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Observations

Dead humpback whale calf washes up near Juneau, may have been struck by vessel
A dead humpback whale calf named Tango was found washed up near Juneau, Alaska, and an investigation is underway to determine if it was struck by a vessel.
Juneau, Alaska, United States

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Found in Seals on Marrowstone Island in Puget Sound
Three adult harbor seals in Puget Sound have tested positive for the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 strain, marking the first incidence of HPAI in marine mammals on the West Coast, and officials are urging beachgoers to avoid contact with wildlife.
Marrowstone, Washington, United States
NOAA

Mystery mass death of seals on remote, uninhabited Siberian island under investigation
Tyuleniy Island, also known as the ‘Island of the Seals,’ is located in the Sea of Okhotsk and is an important breeding ground for northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus). More than 300 northern fur seals and Steller sea lions have been found dead in a mystery mass die-off on a small, uninhabited island in Siberia.
Tyuleny Island
TodayHeadline

Beluga Whale Spotted in The Yukon River Near Tanana
The marine mammal was seen some 600 miles from where the river empties into the Bering Sea.
Tanana, Alaska, United States
Verena Gill, Barbara Mahoney, Rodney Evans

NOAA seeks public’s help on Steller sea lion killings in Copper River Delta
Biologists with NOAA Fisheries Alaska region have been conducting survey work in the area since mid-May and have so far found 22 Steller sea lions and one harbor seal dead. Necropsies performed on the animals have shown gunshot wounds and other human interactions as the cause.
Cordova, Alaska, United States

Baby walrus, rescued from Arctic tundra, receives 24-hour cuddle care at Alaska SeaLife Center
A wayward walrus calf, just one month old, was rescued from the North Slope. Workers on the North Slope spotted the baby walrus on tundra, about four miles inland from the Beaufort Sea.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Dead beluga whales and walruses washed ashore in the estuary near the capital of Chukotka
Dead beluga whales and walruses have been found washed ashore in the estuary near the capital of Chukotka, with the cause of death currently unknown.
Anadyr, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia

Walrus Follows Man to Work in Iceland
A man biking to work in Iceland this morning was unexpectedly accompanied by a walrus on his commute. Walruses are not native to Iceland.
Reykjavík, Capital Region, Iceland
Iceland Review

Beluga whale Hvaldimir visiting Helgeroa
Boaters in Skolebukta outside Larvik opened their eyes when they were visited by the famous beluga whale. The marine biologist fears the whale's journey could soon be over for good.
Larvik, Vestfold, Norway
NRK

'There's something down there': British sailor's boat attacked by apex predator
Greg Blackburn's boat was being tossed around by "heavy weather" in a notorious stretch of water. Two large orcas, otherwise known as killer whales, were responsible for the ramming but Blackburn said four more would join in - causing extensive damage to the boat. ﻿﻿
Tangier, Tanger-Tétouan, Morocco

Stray dogs drove a polar bear away from Whalen
On Sunday, April 16, a young polar bear was spotted in the village of Uelen, Chukotka region. The polar predator came to the smell of walrus meat, which was fed to dogs.
Uelen, Chukotka, Russia
Prochukotku

First birds, now mammals: how H5N1 is killing thousands of sea lions in Peru
Avian flu has decimated the marine creatures on the country’s Pacific coastline and scientists fear it could be jumping from mammal to mammal
Peru
the Guardian

Community heartbroken after attempts to save stranded whales prove in vain
A massive rescue effort took place on Tuesday afternoon that lasted until sunset after five whales were discovered marooned on the shores of the west coast beach. The whales were discovered dead the morning after massive efforts by locals to save them.
Ahipara, Northland Region, New Zealand
NZ Herald

Alaska SeaLife Center admits first fur seal patient in 6 years
The female seal pup — estimated to be around six months old — was seen swimming “erratically” near the shore in Sitka last month, according to a press release from the center. Worried Sitka residents then reported the pup to the center’s 24-hour stranding hotline.
Seward, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Whale washed ashore in Kauai dies with fishing nets and plastic bags in stomach
A whale that washed ashore in the island of Kauai over the weekend likely died in part because it ate large volumes of fishing traps, fishing nets, plastic bags and other marine debris, scientists said Thursday, highlighting the threat to wildlife from the millions of tons of plastic that ends up in oceans every year.
Hanamā‘ulu, Hawaii, United States
mauinews.com

Polar bear fatally mauls woman and boy in Northwest Alaska village
A Wales resident shot and killed the bear. With the loss of sea ice and the ocean staying open later in the year, polar bears have been spending more time on land, which increases the chance of human encounters.
Wales, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Record-breaking numbers of whales were spotted off Victoria’s coast in 2022
In 2022, a record number of Bigg’s killer whales (orcas) and humpback whales were spotted in the waters surrounding Victoria as well as south along Washington’s border.
Salish Sea
Victoria Buzz

Orca stranding on Florida beach is first on record in U.S. Southeast
For the first time ever recorded, orca washes ashore in Florida.
Palm Coast, Florida, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Highly endangered Saimaa ringed seal pup found dead in fishing net
There was a slight rise in population numbers of the very rare animals last year.
Savonlinna, Southern Savonia, Finland
News

Minke whale pod sighted
A rare sighting is possible indicator of prey abundance.
Kasaan, Alaska, United States

Thousands of Endangered Seals Wash Up Dead on Russia's Caspian Shore
At least 2,500 dead Caspian seals have been found on the shores of Russia’s Caspian Sea coast, local authorities said Sunday.
Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia
The Moscow Times

Harbor seal with patchy fur
Harbor seal looking sick with patches of fur missing.
Port Heiden, Alaska, United States
Bryan Reed, Raphaela Stimmelmayr, Barbara Mahoney, Jaclyn Christensen, Kimberlee Beckmen, Gay Sheffield, Gabe Dunham

New peril for gray whale survival? Predatory orcas spotted in Baja calving lagoon
One pod showed up in January and was videotaped fatally attacking two resident bottle-nosed dolphins. They may have also killed a gray whale calf, although a body was never found. Predatory orcas have breached a gray whale safe space in Baja California. Could this spell disaster for a species already struggling for survival?
Campo Pachico, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Los Angeles Times

Sea otter lunch for bald eagle
Two dead otters (one recent) on Kasitsna Bay side. We also found another one yesterday on the Kachemak side.
McDonald Spit, Alaska, United States
Angela Doroff, Michael Opheim , Barbara Mahoney, Rose Masui, Mike Brubaker, Kris Holderied, Stephen Payton

Dead sea otter
Walked two miles of spit and did not see any others.
Seldovia Village, Alaska, United States
Barbara Mahoney, Stephen Payton, Mike Brubaker, Michael Opheim , Kris Holderied

Unregulated ships cruise over speed agreements
“Our shipping monitors clocked another cruise ship going at excessive speed near Pond Inlet,” posted Baffinland Iron Mines on their Twitter account Sept. 22. While the maximum speed was agreed at nine knots in some passages used by the cruise ships, one ship in particular, The Hanseatic from Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, was clocked at almost 16 knots, nearly twice the velocity. It’s the second time this month the cruise line has been clocked in excess of the speed limit agreement.
Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada
NUNAVUT NEWS
Felix Charron-Leclerc - Local Journalism Initiative reporter

Akureyri bottlenose whale found dead
The death of one of the bottlenose whales that have been entertaining residents and visitors in Akureyri was confirmed this weekend.
Akureyri, Northeast, Iceland
RÚV

Polar bear shot dead after attacking tourist on Svalbard
A French woman is hospitalized and a polar bear is dead after the bear attacked the woman on the Norwegian Arctic archipelago Svalbard Monday morning. The woman, who was wounded in the arm by the attacking polar bear, was one of 25 people staying at a tent camp in Nordfjorden on the northern shores of Isfjorden.
Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
ArcticToday

Dolphin Species Never Before Seen in Iceland Beaches in Northwest
Two Risso’s dolphins washed ashore in Hrútafjörður in Northwest Iceland last week. Risso dolphins are a warm-water species found a bit to the east of Ireland and Northwest Scotland. But the largest number is found further south, in warmer seas.
Hrútafjörður, Iceland
Iceland Review

A polar bear in Russia is rescued after getting its tongue stuck in a milk can
In a report this week, a team of Canadian and U.S. scientists warned that hungry polar bears are increasingly turning to garbage dumps to fill their stomachs as their icy habitat disappears due to climate change.
Dikson, Krasnoyarskiy, Russia
ArcticToday

Belugas spotted swimming in Lake Aleknagik
Sherol Mershon runs the Silver Fin Bed and Breakfast, on the shore of Lake Aleknagik. She’s hung fishing nets for 45 years and has seen her fair share of wildlife. So when her guests told her they saw whales in the lake, she had her doubts.
Aleknagik, Alaska, United States
KDLG

Visiting walrus causes stir in southern Finland town
Harju said that due to its long tusks, she guessed that it was an older walrus, adding that the animal was calm during the hour that she watched it lay on the beach.
Hamina, Kymenlaakso, Finland
News

High number of seal deaths linked to bird flu, feds say
The rate of dead seal strandings in Maine is about three times the normal rate for the summer and is close to 60. Most of the seals that have been stranded this summer have been found dead, NOAA said. The dead seals have included gray seals and harbor seals.
Portland, Maine, United States
Press Herald

Fears of bird flu in colony on Hornøya in Finnmark with critically endangered seabird
Endangered guillemots sit tightly in the bird cliff. Infection of bird flu can pass through the colony quickly, fear scientists, who have found several dead birds in recent days. The finds on Hornøya join the series of observations along the coast. There are constantly new reports of sea otters in particular being found in Western Norway. There are also reports of sick gulls and sea eagles along the entire coast up to East Finnmark.
Hornøy Island, Vardø, Finnmark Fylke, Norway
NRK

The first case of a walrus dying of bird flu registered on Svalbard
“Last year we got several reports from tourists and scientists that they saw around six walruses dead here on the west side of Svalbard. Unfortunately, we couldn’t sample them as the dead walruses drifted away by the time we got to the place. But it’s not normal to get so many reported dead walruses in such a small area," said Christian Lydersen, senior scientist at the Norwegian Polar Institute. Now samples (collected by a Station Manager in July 2023) have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
The Independent Barents Observer

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