Herders are struggling to find thousands of reindeer that have run away in search of food. "We are driving for hours and hours to locate our reindeers and to herd them back, but it has been very difficult in these wintry conditions. So, we are also using helicopters and this is very unusual - and very expensive too."

An elk was spotted swimming to the island of Utö in the Finnish archipelago, marking the first sighting of the animal in 40 years.

The exact virus type is still being determined, but measures are being taken to protect workers and prevent transmission to humans.

Some 1,600 bats found a temporary home this week in the attic of a Houston Humane Society director, but it wasn’t because they made it their roost. It was a temporary recovery space for the flying mammals after they lost their grip and plunged to the pavement after going into hypothermic shock during the city’s recent cold snap .

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) is a strain of the avian influenza virus that primarily affects birds, particularly poultry. It has been detected in farmed mink.

Since November, six foxes and three dogs in Nunavut have been found to be infected with rabies. Wednesday’s fox attack brings the total to seven foxes and five dogs with likely rabies infections.

She was then driven immediately to the hospital, where she got treatment for a potential rabies infection. Over the past month, there has been an increase in fox sightings and cases of rabies in foxes in the communities of Igloolik and Iqaluit. A fox was confirmed to have rabies in Igloolik on Dec. 14, while two foxes have been reported to have rabies in Iqaluit over the past five weeks.

Fibromatosis is not a cause of deer mortality, according to officials, who added that the disease is not known to infect humans.

Named Nakoda by locals, the bear has been seen in Yoho and Banff national parks before, but not very often.

Yukon conservation officers have euthanized a grizzly bear that was originally sighted near Braeburn.

The animals are thought to have contracted the disease from exposure to dormant anthrax spores in the soil of a feeding site on a farm. This is the first documented case of anthrax in livestock in B.C

Because of the risk to public safety, efforts will be made to locate this group of river otters and remove them, Fish and Game said.

Environment Yukon's carnivore biologist is enthused about cougar sightings near Whitehorse, as tracks suggest the big cats are breeding in the territory.

KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — Sightings of mink are increasing around Kodiak, Alaska wildlife biologists said of the animal — a species not native to the area. The first sighting was several years ago, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported . Alaska Department of Fish and Game wildlife biologist John Crye said the sightings began after he got a call from an individual who was interested in raising and farming the animals.

The BC Conservation Officer Service said the latest attack happened around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday night, while a woman was jogging along the seawall.

A 1990 elk management plan recommended 100 animals as a reasonable number, based on resources available for the animals, Cathers said. But that number has since ballooned, causing more agricultural conflicts. Part of the problem goes back to 2008, when elk wintered in fenced off enclosures after winter ticks were discovered.

Intensive baiting programmes have so far had little success against the infestation, and locals are hoping for heavy rain to drown the mice in their burrows.

Smoke from a wildfire in southwestern Greenland is hampering the wild reindeer hunt on the Arctic island.

Smoke from a wildfire in southwestern Greenland is hampering the wild reindeer hunt on the Arctic island, best known for its ice rather than burning grass and bushes.