Global News - December 2007

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Melting sea ice leads to thousands of walrus deaths

Wed 19 December 2007 12:30 UK — Marine Wildlife,Other

Melting sea ice caused by global warming has been blamed for the deaths of thousands of walruses in stampedes earlier this year.

According to scientists, as many as 4,000 Pacific walruses died above the Arctic Circle after disappearing sea ice forced them to come ashore for longer than usual and congregate in unprecedented numbers.

Herds as big as 40,000 gathered in some areas, the Canadian Press reported, with stampedes caused by the presence of predators or low-flying airplanes leading to the crushing of hundreds of, often young, walruses.

"It was a pretty sobering year - tough on walruses," said Joel Garlach-Miller, a walrus expert for the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Tony Fischbach, of the US Geological Survey, added: "We were surprised that this was happening so soon, and we were surprised at the magnitude of the report."

According to Russia's Pacific Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, this year's deaths are between two and three times the number normally recorded among walruses resting on the shoreline.

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