Protect Wolves

B.C.’s sea wolves featured in National Geographic

In BC Canada by TwowolvesLeave a Comment

Protect Wolves

B.C.’s sea wolves featured in National Geographic

Seafaring wolves “unlike any in the world” as they swim from island to island in search of food.

British Columbia’s sea wolves are ready for their close-up, and a local conservationist hopes the international attention the unique animals garner will help them protect them at home.

For the past 15 years, Pacific Wild co-founder Ian McAllister has been closely studying the wolves of B.C.’s great bear rainforest and say they’re “unlike any other wolves in the world”.

Known to swim between the countless islands off B.C.’s coast, the so-called sea wolves scour beaches for barnacle and roe to snack on, hunt seals and sea lions and can fish for salmon in streams.

McAllister says 90 per cent of their diet is dependent on the ocean and, unlike their larger terrestrial cousins, have adapted to thrive in their coastal marine environment.

And now, they’re getting their big break.

The animals are the focus of a feature in this month’s edition of National Geographic, which sent a journalist and photographer out earlier this year to follow McAllister as he observes the wolves and warns of the risks B.C.’s wanton wolf culls and proposed tanker traffic – from the Northern Gateway pipeline and Liquefied Natural Gas exports – could have on the populations.

Since discovering sea wolves in the early 2000s, McAllister has been trying to get government to have them specially designated an Evolutionary Significant Unit or protected subspecies, to no avail.

 

“There’s not really any other publication, in terms of international reach and coverage of nature, to compare to on an issue like this,” McAllister said the National Geographic’s significance. “I don’t think most British Columbians know just how unique and distinct they are.”

via B.C.’s sea wolves featured in National Geographic | Metro News.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.