A panel of experts has warned the status of Atlantic walrus and eastern migratory caribou in the Canada's Artic. According to them, these animals might face extinction if not monitored properly.
The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) announced last Monday in Whitehorse that the number of the Atlantic walrus and eastern migratory caribou in Canada's Artic is at the low number. Currently, the number of these Canadian northern wildlife species stands at 62.
"Over the past few decades, the areas inhabited by the few thousand High Arctic walruses and the more numerous Central and Low Arctic population have shrunk and continue to do so," the report said according to an article published in Phys.org. They added that as the climate change occurs resulting in warm temperature and receding sea ice, interaction with industry and tourism must increase.
The panel of experts added that the threat to the species of walrus and caribou recommend a status of Special Concern for both populations. In a report published in AFP, They said that this is layered upon the ongoing harvesting.
"Walruses have been very important to the Inuit, both as food and in their culture, and they remain so today," COSEWIC member Hal Whitehead said. The walrus is noted as unique especially its sensitivity to environmental changes.
"Walruses are particularly sensitive to disturbance, and certainly deserve special attention," he said. The committee also raised concerns for the eastern caribou. Previously, the caribou numbered over 800,000 in Quebec and Labrador in 1993.
"The figure has fallen to an unprecedented low of a few thousand animals," experts said. They also said that a second major herd of caribou is also in serious decline.
COSEWIC's chair Graham Forbes said that human activities in the area should be sensitive to the caribous and walruses. He said that this aggravates more their situation, knowing that the climate change is already a concern to these species.
"Shrubs increasingly cover landscapes that were once dominated by lichen, caribou's major winter food source, and overharvest continues," Forbes said. He added that they are worried that these factors may make it very hard for walruses and caribous to recover.
