Monitoring the changing climate is one of the main conservation challenges of our age. One of the pillars of the Conservation and Research Department’s conservation strategy is to help understand the changing Arctic. As winter approaches, we would like to take a minute to reflect on some of the amazing work that took place over the past year with respect to our Arctic programs (and how you can be involved!).

Polar Bears

In September, our research staff attended the International Bear Association Conference to learn more about polar bears, meet with colleagues, and to present our research on the overlap between polar bear denning habitat in Manitoba and wildfire. This is aimed at better understanding when and where wildfires occur that could destroy critical denning habitat for polar bears. A special thank you to the Canadian Polar Bear Habitat Fund for their generous support for this project.

We also said good-bye to the BearDar installation that headed back up to Churchill in time for bear season. This unit can be deployed in remote locations to detect polar bears approaching – day or night and in all weather. When a polar bear is detected, it can warn people in the area, and they can get to safety – this will keep both bears and people safe. It was at the zoo to train the computer onboard how to recognize a polar bear. BearDar has been developed by Polar Bears International, Spotter Global, and their partners.

November is a busy time along Manitoba’s Hudson Bay coastline as polar bears are on the move. They head north to wait along the shore for the temperatures to drop and the sea ice to form so they can get out on the Bay to hunt. This annual event also brings people north to Churchill and we are happy to welcome them along their way and talk to them about the wonders of this remarkable region and how they can help polar bears. For actions that you can take to help protect polar bears, visit the UN website and the David Suzuki Foundation website.

Belugas

This summer, our team embarked on an exciting adventure with Polar Bears International, spending over three weeks on boat expeditions in Churchill, Manitoba, where we focused on capturing underwater footage of the western Hudson Bay beluga whale population. Our dedicated team, which included Dr. Stephen Petersen, Dr. Courtney Shuert, Kasey Ryan, and Animal Care Professional Carla Ellis, worked tirelessly to gather valuable data and media.

A pair of belugas approach PBI’s M/V Delphi and the Explore.org beluga cam in summer 2024. Snapshots are provided by attendees on the Explore.org livestream and help us with our research.

Thanks to a collaboration with PBI and Explore.org, we collected an impressive 88 hours of underwater video footage. This footage was streamed live on Explore.org, offering viewers around the globe a chance to experience the charismatic belugas in their natural habitat. Throughout the summer, users were also able to capture snapshots of their favorite moments, leaving a catalog of highlights from the season. Additionally, we captured thousands of above-water photos, videos with drones, and underwater 360-degree video footage, providing a complete view of these whales both above and below the surface.

One of the most exciting aspects of this project is the engagement of our global community of citizen scientists. The photographs captured from the underwater videos will be uploaded to Zooniverse.org, where volunteers will help us classify the images. Community members will assist in identifying the age and sex of the belugas and look for unique markings that could help us track individual whales over time. With nearly 30,000 volunteers already involved, our Zooniverse community has made over 7.5 million classifications—an incredible contribution to beluga research and conservation!

A large group of belugas checks out the beluga cam.

As we move forward, this collected data will help us better understand beluga whale behavior, their habitat use, and population dynamics. We’re excited to continue analyzing the footage, working with our citizen science community, and ultimately contributing to the long-term conservation of these amazing marine mammals. Stay tuned for more updates and thank you to everyone who joined us virtually on Explore.org and to those who are actively helping us on Zooniverse!

A heartfelt thank you to our sponsors, including RBC’s Tech for Nature Fund, Polar Bears International, Explore.org, Zooniverse, Calm Air, and the Churchill Northern Studies Centre’s Northern Research Fund, whose support made this invaluable work possible.

Arctic Seals

Since our trip to the north in May, our team has been thrilled to track the remarkable journeys of harbour seals which were outfitted with satellite transmitters - aptly nicknamed “ranger seals” for their exploratory nature! This project, spearheaded by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in collaboration with Assiniboine Park Conservancy, highlights the importance of understanding wildlife movements in a changing environment.

Recent data highlights that these individuals are not just staying close to the coast; they have been making notable use of the river systems around western Hudson Bay, including the Seal, Caribou, and Churchill Rivers. Some seals have ventured over 80 kilometers inland! A few adventurous seals even made their way into Nunavut, and one individual travelled all the way up to Arviat, Nunavut!

An example set of locations from 6 seals outfitted with satellite telemetry devices in July of this year. Satellite telemetry devices allow us to track individuals and assess space use over time.

As we continue this research, we aim to uncover vital insights into how much time these seals are spending in the rivers, how long their visits last, and whether increased river usage becomes a trend as our climate shifts. Special thanks to our sponsors—Calm Air, the Churchill Northern Studies Centre’s Northern Research Fund, Manitoba Hydro, and the APC Wildlife Conservation Fund—for making this vital research possible.

Stay tuned for more updates on our discoveries!