Fisheries and Oceans Canada says plans for another attempt to rescue an orca calf stranded off the coast of northwest Vancouver Island will be finalized over the next few days. The department has been working with the Ehattesaht (eh-HAT’-eh-sat) First Nation near Zeballos to co-ordinate the rescue of the calf, who’s been trapped alone since her mother died three weeks ago. Martin Haulena, a veterinarian with the Vancouver Aquarium, says an earlier attempt involved trying to direct the calf by banging on pipes to create loud noises underwater, as well as a series of lines suspended at regular intervals to create an underwater wall. Haulena says he got a good look at the calf during Friday’s attempt, and her body condition suggests she’s been foraging for food such as salmon and rockfish.
A man has been released with conditions after being arrested in the area where a woman’s body was discovered this weekend. RCMP say officers found the body in a rural area while they were investigating the alleged abduction of a woman from Lumby. Police had asked for the public’s help in finding the 44 year old woman on Saturday, saying she was last seen speaking with her ex-husband when she unexpectedly left with him in a vehicle. The Mounties did not say whether he’s the same man who was arrested in the vicinity of the woman’s body.
Police in Victoria say a man was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries after a stabbing downtown. They say traffic officers were on patrol yesterday around 10:30 am when they were flagged down to help the male victim. No arrests have been made in connection with the stabbing, and police are asking anyone with information to contact them. Police say it’s the seventh stabbing incident in the city since March 1st, but each are considered isolated.
The Department of National Defence says the arrival of a new ship at its homeport in Esquimalt marks a milestone in the expansion of the Royal Canadian Navy’s arctic and offshore patrol fleet. It says in a statement that the HMCS Max Bernays is the first Harry DeWolf-class vessel to permanently join the Pacific Fleet. The department says the ship enhances the Navy’s ability to enforce sovereignty in Canada’s western waters, and better meet future defence challenges in the North. It says the ship was built by Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax and first launched into the water in October 2021.
A recent study from researchers at Simon Fraser University reveals ants could be a solution to prevent tick bites. A statement from the university says the study found ticks would avoid ants, and even when they left, ticks would avoid the area. Claire Gooding, lead author of the study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, says the researchers chose ants because they work in groups and use chemicals to communicate. The team found ant pheromones were effective in repelling ticks, then worked with a synthetic chemist to recreate a substance that also proved effective in the study.
Spring weather has prompted the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen to issue a statement encouraging people to take steps to avoid attracting bears to their neighbourhoods. The district says black bears are emerging from their winter denning and looking for calorie-rich meals after months of fasting. It says bears have a keener sense of smell than dogs, and the district is urging people to wash any recyclable packaging that contained food and to store garbage in a secure area. It adds that birdseed is a snack for a hungry bear and bird feeders should be avoided at this time of year.