Posted on 04/08/2007 8:37:44 PM PDT by conservative in nyc
An extra-cold winter on the Alaska Peninsula has frozen sea otters out of the bay and pushed them onto the tundra near Port Heiden where they're easy prey for wolves, humans and hunger.
Some of the starving animals -- with ribs showing -- have waddled or belly-slid several miles inland, residents said. Others have been attacked by dogs near houses, killed by villagers for their hides, or died on sea ice where eagles and foxes pick at their remains.
No one knows how many have come ashore in the unusual exodus, said Mark Kosbruk, village fire chief. Natives have skinned at least 17 to make hats, gloves and blankets from the luxurious pelts.
They've clubbed some with 2-by-4s or axe handles, shot others and collected a couple of frozen carcasses, he said. Several rotted before they could be gathered or died on the sea ice where people won't travel.
--Snip--
The sea otters are probably on land looking for water where they might find food, said Douglas Burn, head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alaska sea otter program. They usually scour sea bottoms for clams or sea urchins, but the ice froze them out.
--Snip--
The animals haven't come ashore in large numbers since 2000, the last time the bay froze, he said.
Partially enclosed by spits of land, the bay hardened into a solid surface of ice this winter after a cold spell -- beginning in January and lasting through March -- dropped temperatures to zero and below, he said.
Average winter temperatures usually hover in the 20s, producing only ice floes, he said. Spring temperatures have recently melted snow off tundra and opened cracks in the frozen bay miles from shore, but the sea otters are still coming on land.
(Excerpt) Read more at adn.com ...
No... wait... Unusually cold weather is? Never mind!
D*mn Algore trying to kill more brown-eyed, innocent, furry, little sea otters by cooling the planet even more. The sea otters don't have a chance with fat, heartless, slobs like Algore running around, living in his multiple, power hogging, "carbon neutral," mansions. (end reverse moronic democrat imitation)
Agree - Damn this global warming! Where is SuperGoreman to save the day?
Entering Zombie mode: Global warming is causing this global cooling! All that CO2 is making more clouds that is cooling the earth, can’t you see? Exiting zombie mode.
According to PETA, it is so much better for animals to die like this in the wild instead of being taken care of by people.
Several rotted before they could be gathered or died on the sea ice where people won’t travel.
BS flag going up. Things tend NOT to rot in freezing conditions.
Everybody fire up your SUV’s and go for a nice long drive. Help out those poor otters!;)
Looking at the article I was not disappointed. It had the usual stock cute sea otter photo. Where are the photos of the starving otters? Hey, having lived in Alaska from 74 to 04, I like sea otters. My BS meter kicked on with this story.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.