By Dr. Flavio Lehner

MINS 

17 Jun 2025

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• https://polarbearsinternational.org/news-media/articles/as-sea-ice-melts-western-hudson-bay-polar-bears-head-to-land-for-the-summer

With summer underway, the sea ice in Canada’s Hudson Bay is melting rapidly, transforming it from a solid hunting platform for polar bears to open water. This annual pattern forces polar bears to land and marks the beginning of their fasting period, as their main prey, seals, become inaccessible to them until the bay freezes over again in winter.

This year, sea ice in Hudson Bay started to melt relatively early. Western Hudson Bay’s sea ice cover just dropped to below 50%, while Southern Hudson Bay just dropped below 80%. By late July, Hudson Bay will have melted out completely for the year. Readers might recall last year’s extremely unusual ice melt season, which saw persistent winds push and pile up sea ice in Western Hudson Bay, preserving the ice there and providing hunting opportunities for polar bears deep into July. However, this meant that at the same time there was very little sea ice left in Southern Hudson Bay, which saw its earliest sea ice disappearance date on record, with potentially negative impacts for polar bears there.

Sea ice extent in Western and Southern Hudson Bay. All years since satellite observations are available are shown (1979-2025), with the unusual year 2024 highlighted in magenta. The ongoing 2025 melt season is shown in red. Data from NOAA/NSIDC.

However, it’s not just the extent of sea ice that matters to polar bears, but also the “quality” of the ice. This year, the sea ice is already broken-up into many small ice floes, as can be seen on satellite images, possibly due to the generally declining sea ice thickness and recent windy conditions in the region. While this type of ice still provides some opportunities to hunt for seals, it is overall difficult for bears to navigate efficiently. Indeed, looking at the recent distribution of GPS-tracked bears in Western Hudson Bay, we see that most have made their way to the western edge of the sea ice and are getting ready to come ashore to their typical summer grounds around the town of Churchill, Manitoba; some bears already have. 

Sea ice and polar bears in Hudson Bay this year. (left) Distribution of tracked polar bears in Western Hudson Bay on 13th of June 2025, showing many getting ready to come ashore. (right) Satellite image of sea ice conditions on 14th June 2025. The zoomed-in image shows the thin and broken-up sea ice north-east of Churchill, Manitoba.

Dr. Andrew Derocher, a Professor of Biological Sciences from the University of Alberta, reports from field work this spring that bears weren’t in great shape and seemed to struggle to kill the typical number of seals. He expects the bears to come ashore soon, unless a strong easterly wind event pushes sea ice back into Western Hudson Bay and delays the disappearance of sea ice. However, the weather forecast for the next week is for the opposite – continued winds from the West, as is typical in that region this time of year. Together with the current sub-optimal sea ice conditions, this does not bode well for polar bears in Western Hudson Bay. As the bears come ashore this summer, researchers will be able to get a better look at them to determine their health. 

Polar bears consider a variety of factors when deciding between coming ashore or staying on the ice a little longer. If they are desperate for food, they might stay, but the melting and drifting sea ice might then require them to put in a longer swim later to get back to shore. As often in nature, it is a tradeoff between energy expenditure and food. Historically, bears have chosen to come ashore early rather than stay out longer on such thin and patchy ice. It’s an open research question whether bears will adapt their behavior if ice conditions change. While polar bears are adapted to handle some such uncertainty, the warming climate and ever-lengthening ice-free period in Hudson Bay make it increasingly difficult for bears to stay well-fed and healthy.

by Oil City StaffJune 17, 2025

• https://oilcity.news/wyoming/outdoors/2025/06/17/cow-moose-shot-killed-by-angler-in-bighorn-national-forest/

By Wyoming Game and Fish

SHERIDAN, Wyo. — On June 14, Wyoming Game and Fish Department personnel received a report that a cow moose had been shot in a confrontation with an angler on the North Tongue River in the Bighorn National Forest near Bear Lodge Resort.

When game wardens responded, they found the moose deceased from her injuries.

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The game wardens interviewed the angler who said he had encountered the moose at close range in thick willows. He fired multiple shots at the moose when she became agitated and charged him.

Wardens searched the surrounding area and found two young-of-the-year moose calves that they believed the cow was defending. Due to their inability to survive without their mother, the calves were euthanized.

The North Tongue River and nearby areas are prime moose habitat. These areas are also popular with anglers and other recreationists who can take steps to prevent conflicts with moose and other wildlife.

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Game and Fish warns that while moose can be found in many areas of the Bighorn National Forest and adjoining lands, they spend significant time in riparian areas – the areas in and around rivers, streams and ponds. Pay particular attention to your surroundings while in these areas, watching and listening for movement.

Despite their large size, moose can be difficult to spot in thick vegetation such as willows. Make noise and move carefully through areas with low visibility. People are urged to be especially watchful during times of low light, such as early morning or late evening, as their dark coloring makes moose hard to see.