OTTAWA, June 07, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Beluga Whale and Arctic Fox are the focus of the newest Hinterland Who’s Who (HWW) public awareness campaigns launching this month. The new videos on the Beluga Whale will be released on Oceans Day June 8 while the Arctic Fox will be released on June 21, National Indigenous Peoples Day.
“Our team’s goal is to represent all parts of Canada and a wide variety of wildlife species, either common or rare, from plants to mammals,” said Annie Langlois, coordinator of the HWW program. “Climate change has a great impact on northern species, so education and conservation are critical.”
The HWW team went to northern Manitoba during the summer of 2023 to film these public service announcements since Churchill is known as the Beluga Whale Capital of the World, Langlois explained. Roughly 60,000 or one-third of the world’s Beluga population make their way there from deeper waters to feed, molt their skin and raise their young.
Since the HWW team visits the actual habitat of the highlighted species they wish to film, they were hoping to witness this summer gathering of Belugas in Hudson Bay, and they certainly did! But the future of this phenomenon is not guaranteed. Climate change, one of the main threats to our oceans and freshwater habitats, is also a major threat for most of our Arctic’s wildlife, and the Beluga is no different.
“Changes in water currents could bring changes in Beluga prey distribution and bring predators used to warmer waters up north,” Langlois said. “Conserving this species in highly important, not only for future generations, but also for Inuit.”
The Arctic Fox is the other highlighted species in 2024. This is the smallest species of canine in North America. Also known as ‘Tiriganiaq’ in Inuktitut, it is found in Canada’s Arctic from the northern tip of Ellesmere Island to the southern tip of James Bay, Langlois said. For thousands of years, many northern Inuit and Indigenous First Nations communities have had a strong cultural connection to the Artic Fox and in recent history, have benefitted economically through the harvesting of Arctic Foxes for the fur trade. For these traditions to survive, it is of utmost importance to help conserve this amazing species from threats such as competition with Red Foxes and climate change! In fact, no Arctic Foxes were spotted around Churchill by the HWW team while they used to be found in good numbers in the past.
You can learn more about both the Arctic Fox and Beluga Whale on the website hww.ca.
About Hinterland Who’s Who:
First created in 1963, HWW made bold use of a relatively new medium — black and white television — to reach the Canadian general public. The new Hinterland Who’s Who, launched in 2003, serves to rebuild the connection thousands of viewers made with wildlife through the original series and ensure that wildlife remains part of what it means to be Canadian. HWW is a joint program of the Canadian Wildlife Federation and Environment and Climate Change Canada.
About the Canadian Wildlife Federation:
The Canadian Wildlife Federation is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to fostering awareness and appreciation of our natural world. By spreading knowledge of human impacts on the environment, carrying out research, developing and delivering education programs, promoting the sustainable use of natural resources, recommending changes to policy and co-operating with like-minded partners, CWF encourages a future in which Canadians can live in harmony with nature. For more information, visit CanadianWildlifeFederation.ca.
For more information: [email protected]
or
Annie Langlois, Hinterland Who’s Who Co-ordinator, [email protected]
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6289feec-4543-4ef9-9a57-a509d65d93fd
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/68e20ba9-fff5-4e8f-afec-e13451431b62