wildlife

Bear 747, defending Fat Bear Week Champion, stands on the bank of the Brooks River in Katmai National Park, Alaska. The winner of a Thursday matchup between Bear 128 Grazer and Bear 151 Walker will meet 747 in Fat Bear Week competition on Saturday. (Photo courtesy C. Cravatta/National Park Service)

Survival of the fattest

Paunchy ursine competitors go head-to-head in annual Fat Bear Week

Bear 747, defending Fat Bear Week Champion, stands on the bank of the Brooks River in Katmai National Park, Alaska. The winner of a Thursday matchup between Bear 128 Grazer and Bear 151 Walker will meet 747 in Fat Bear Week competition on Saturday. (Photo courtesy C. Cravatta/National Park Service)
A seal rescued earlier this summer by the Alaska SeaLife Center awaits release on the North Kenai Beach in Kenai, Alaska, on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

2nd harbor seal release draws large crowds

The seals were Pierogi, Pringle and Belle de Fontenay

A seal rescued earlier this summer by the Alaska SeaLife Center awaits release on the North Kenai Beach in Kenai, Alaska, on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Attendees search the waters of the Kenai River for sightings of Cook Inlet belugas during Belugas Count! at the Kenai Bluff Overlook in Kenai, Alaska on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Belugas Count! celebrated in Kenai

At a viewing station on Kenai’s bluff overlook, dozens gathered and peered out over the Kenai River during a morning session

Attendees search the waters of the Kenai River for sightings of Cook Inlet belugas during Belugas Count! at the Kenai Bluff Overlook in Kenai, Alaska on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Architect Nancy Casey speaks in front of a small gathering at the Fireside Chat presented by the Kenai Watershed Forum on Nov. 30, 2022, at Kenai River Brewing in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai Watershed Forum’s Fireside Chats return Wednesday

The chats will cover a range of interesting topics, centered on knowledge, research and projects

Architect Nancy Casey speaks in front of a small gathering at the Fireside Chat presented by the Kenai Watershed Forum on Nov. 30, 2022, at Kenai River Brewing in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Alaska SeaLife Center veterinary technician Jessica Davis carries a newborn otter pup patient into the Alaska SeaLife Center Veterinary clinic for an initial admit exam on Sept. 9, 2023. The otter pup was admitted to the ASLC Wildlife Response Program after witnesses watched orcas attack the pup’s mother. (Photo courtesy Peter Sculli/Alaska SeaLife Center)

Newborn sea otter rescued after orca attack

Tthe animal still had a fresh umbilical cord, suggesting she was only a day, “possibly even hours,” old

Alaska SeaLife Center veterinary technician Jessica Davis carries a newborn otter pup patient into the Alaska SeaLife Center Veterinary clinic for an initial admit exam on Sept. 9, 2023. The otter pup was admitted to the ASLC Wildlife Response Program after witnesses watched orcas attack the pup’s mother. (Photo courtesy Peter Sculli/Alaska SeaLife Center)
Alaska Wildlife Alliance member Grace Kautek looks out over the Kenai River for signs of belugas during the third annual Belugas Count! event at Erik Hansen Scout Park in Kenai, Alaska on Sept. 21, 2019. (Peninsula Clarion file)

Cook Inlet belugas the center of returning educational celebration

Belugas Count! set for Sept. 23

Alaska Wildlife Alliance member Grace Kautek looks out over the Kenai River for signs of belugas during the third annual Belugas Count! event at Erik Hansen Scout Park in Kenai, Alaska on Sept. 21, 2019. (Peninsula Clarion file)
A female northern sea otter rescued in Kenai on Monday, Sept. 4, 2023, is seen at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Kaiti Grant/Alaska SeaLife Center)

Sea otter pup rescued in Kenai

The pup is the latest in an extensive roster of animals rescued this summer

A female northern sea otter rescued in Kenai on Monday, Sept. 4, 2023, is seen at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Kaiti Grant/Alaska SeaLife Center)
Madison Kosma watches as beluga whales swim up the Kenai River at Cunningham Park on Saturday, April 24, 2021. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)

Local ‘community scientists’ monitor endangered beluga population

Alaska Beluga Monitoring Program trains volunteers to collect information about the Cook Inlet beluga population

Madison Kosma watches as beluga whales swim up the Kenai River at Cunningham Park on Saturday, April 24, 2021. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)
A Pacific walrus pup rests his head on the lap of an Alaska SeaLife Center staff member after being admitted to the Alaska SeaLife Center Wildlife Response Program on Aug. 1, 2023. Walruses are highly tactile and social animals, receiving near-constant care from their mothers during the first two years of life. To emulate this maternal closeness, round-the-clock “cuddling” is being provided to ensure the calf remains calm and develops in a healthy manner. (Photo courtesy Kaiti Grant/Alaska SeaLife Center)

Rescued walrus calf dies of ‘multiple complications’

The calf had earned national attention for its unique prescription of “round-the-clock” cuddling

A Pacific walrus pup rests his head on the lap of an Alaska SeaLife Center staff member after being admitted to the Alaska SeaLife Center Wildlife Response Program on Aug. 1, 2023. Walruses are highly tactile and social animals, receiving near-constant care from their mothers during the first two years of life. To emulate this maternal closeness, round-the-clock “cuddling” is being provided to ensure the calf remains calm and develops in a healthy manner. (Photo courtesy Kaiti Grant/Alaska SeaLife Center)
A Pacific walrus pup rests his head on the lap of an ASLC staff member after being admitted to the Alaska SeaLife Center Wildlife Response Program on Aug. 1, 2023. Walruses are highly tactile and social animals, receiving near-constant care from their mothers during the first two years of life. To emulate this maternal closeness, round-the-clock “cuddling” is being provided to ensure the calf remains calm and develops in a healthy manner. (Photo courtesy Kaiti Grant/Alaska SeaLife Center)

Pacific walrus calf rescued, presents ‘rare opportunity’

He was spotted on the North Slope around 4 miles inland

A Pacific walrus pup rests his head on the lap of an ASLC staff member after being admitted to the Alaska SeaLife Center Wildlife Response Program on Aug. 1, 2023. Walruses are highly tactile and social animals, receiving near-constant care from their mothers during the first two years of life. To emulate this maternal closeness, round-the-clock “cuddling” is being provided to ensure the calf remains calm and develops in a healthy manner. (Photo courtesy Kaiti Grant/Alaska SeaLife Center)
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Rare white raven turns heads

An unusually colored raven has been turning heads around the central Kenai Peninsula for the last few weeks — standing out from the crowd with… Continue reading

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A harbor seal pup is treated by staff at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska, on Thursday, June 8, 2023. (Photo courtesy Peter Sculli/Alaska SeaLife Center)

SeaLife Center rescues 5 more harbor seal pups

The center currently has 9 pups in their care

A harbor seal pup is treated by staff at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska, on Thursday, June 8, 2023. (Photo courtesy Peter Sculli/Alaska SeaLife Center)
Alaska SeaLife Center staff treat a harbor seal pup at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward. (Photo courtesy Kaiti Grant/Alaska SeaLife Center)

Nikiski harbor seal rescued, 4th in a week

The female seal pup was seen on a crowded fishing beach

Alaska SeaLife Center staff treat a harbor seal pup at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward. (Photo courtesy Kaiti Grant/Alaska SeaLife Center)
A moose walks into the lobby of the Kenai Cinemas in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. (Photo courtesy Kenai Cinemas)

Video of movie theater moose encounter goes viral

As of Tuesday evening, the video had amassed more than 2.3 million views on TikTok

A moose walks into the lobby of the Kenai Cinemas in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. (Photo courtesy Kenai Cinemas)
A sign offering tips on how to recreate safely around bears can be seen on Thursday, July 1, 2021, on Skilak Lake Road in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)

Workshops to focus on bear coexistence

Experts will discuss bear attractants, how bear-resistant electric fencing works, and how to get financial assistance

A sign offering tips on how to recreate safely around bears can be seen on Thursday, July 1, 2021, on Skilak Lake Road in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
University of Alaska Fairbanks Associate Professor Dr. Peter Westley, Department of Fish and Game Biologist Adam Reimer, and Cook Inletkeeper Science Director Sue Mauger listen to a question during a panel discussion for the Kenai Peninsula College Showcase "State of the Salmon" on Wednesday, April 20, 2023, at KPC in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Showcase paints a grim picture for future of salmon

Warming waters, more numerous predators, bycatch, parasites, increased competition all point to tremendous difficulty in species resurgence

University of Alaska Fairbanks Associate Professor Dr. Peter Westley, Department of Fish and Game Biologist Adam Reimer, and Cook Inletkeeper Science Director Sue Mauger listen to a question during a panel discussion for the Kenai Peninsula College Showcase "State of the Salmon" on Wednesday, April 20, 2023, at KPC in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
The Kasilof River is seen from the Kasilof River Recreation Area, July 30, 2019, in Kasilof, Alaska. A section of the Kasilof River estuary called “the Dinosaur Parcel,” sized at 309 acres, has been added to the Alaska State Parks system for conservation. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)

Kasilof River parcel added to Alaska State Parks

The Dinosaur Parcel, named for its unique shape, has long been prioritized for conservation

The Kasilof River is seen from the Kasilof River Recreation Area, July 30, 2019, in Kasilof, Alaska. A section of the Kasilof River estuary called “the Dinosaur Parcel,” sized at 309 acres, has been added to the Alaska State Parks system for conservation. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
The northern fur seal rescued by Alaska SeaLife Center staff is seen on Jan. 31, 2023, at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Kaiti Grant/Alaska SeaLife Center)

Northern fur seal pup admitted to SeaLife Center rescue program

The pup was reported by Sitka residents using the center’s 24-hour stranding hotline

The northern fur seal rescued by Alaska SeaLife Center staff is seen on Jan. 31, 2023, at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Kaiti Grant/Alaska SeaLife Center)
Qilak the otter pup looks at the camera after a feeding session at the Alaska SeaLife Center. The otter pup was admitted as a patient on Sept. 7, 2022, after being found on top of his moribund mother. (Photo Credit: Alaska SeaLife Center)

Rescued otter pup finds new home in Chicago

Qilak was rescued by the Alaska SeaLife Center’s Wildlife Response program in early September

Qilak the otter pup looks at the camera after a feeding session at the Alaska SeaLife Center. The otter pup was admitted as a patient on Sept. 7, 2022, after being found on top of his moribund mother. (Photo Credit: Alaska SeaLife Center)
Nicole Schmitt (in yellow), director of the Alaska Wildlife Alliance, points out belugas for attendees of Belugas Count! on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Belugas make a splash at annual count

The belugas were close enough that they could be spotted even without using cameras or binoculars

Nicole Schmitt (in yellow), director of the Alaska Wildlife Alliance, points out belugas for attendees of Belugas Count! on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)