Climate Change and Walruses

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/04/why-are-walruses-walking-off-cliffs/586510/
These changes have affected the indigenous communities that have traditionally hunted, protected, and lived alongside walruses. The 200 Chukchi people who live in the Russian village of Vankarem are familiar with local haul-outs. But according to one resident, Vladilen Ivanovich Kavry, the gatherings have become more crowded, and the walruses look weaker. They’re edging closer to the village, and those killed during stampedes attract polar bears, which are also coming ashore because of the vanishing sea ice.

The community have since set up a patrol to watch for incoming bears and tow walrus carcasses to far-off sites. They’ve also worked with the local aviation service to restrict flights over haul-out sites, to avoid spooking the walruses. And they’ve shared their expertise with their counterparts in Alaska. “In the spring of 2010, we invited Chukchi colleagues to travel to Alaskan villages to talk about their work in protecting polar bears and walruses,” says Margaret Williams, who directs the World Wildlife Fund’s Arctic Program. “They said, ‘Soon our walruses will come to you.’”
ED YONG is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where he covers science