The Fate of Walruses at the Mercy of Climate Change

By: Caroline Tuggle

Have you ever heard of walruses jumping off of cliffs? Sadly, it's actually a reality...

Image result for walrus jump off cliff

Walruses look to segments of floating sea ice to rest and mate, but due to global warming, the abundance of these platforms are steadily diminishing . Due to the decreasing about of availability of sea ice, walruses look to the shores of beaches to rest and mate. This causes beaches to become over crowded and forces some to look elsewhere. Walruses climb up cliffs and large rocks to look for a place to rest and relax, but once they wish to come back down, they don't know how .  Due to them not knowing how to safely get back down from these cliffs, they see their family and friends in the water and see the cliff as a quick route back to the sea . While they aren't wrong about the quick access, they are unaware of just how deadly and harmful the decent into the water below truly is .



Another source describes witnessing a stretch of shore covered in what was estimated to be around 100,000 walruses that had died from the harsh fall off of the cliffs above. They described it as "a beach where 100,000 walruses tessellate into a solid red mat of tusks and blubber." This is not a new occurence but I personally didn't have any idea this was happening until very recently . This horrific event proves that in cases such as this animals such as walruses are a danger to themselves .



Netflix released a documentary series called "Our Planet" within which videos of these poor animals falling to their death is depicted. I believe that not many knew this was going on until a huge company such as Netflix put something out about it. But now that there is proof showing exactly what is happening to these animals, we can take steps forward to create alternative places for walruses to rest and mate so that they do not have to look to cliffs and other high platforms that may lead to their death.

What do you think can be done to prevent this?

Do you agree that global warming is to blame for this?

What do you think of thousands of walruses dying from situations such as this?


Sources:

https://www.livescience.com/65226-why-netflix-walruses-fall-off-cliffs.html

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/why-are-walruses-walking-off-cliffs/ar-BBVLJBw

https://wattsupwiththat.com/2019/04/15/our-planet-film-crew-is-still-lying-about-walrus-cliff-deaths-heres-how-we-know/


Comments

Anonymous said…
Sea ice deterioration due to global climate change is thought to be the most pervasive threat to polar marine mammals, including walruses. Because walruses will make use of terrestrial sites, extinction due to climate change impacts on sea ice is unlikely to occur for this species. But, it is certain that land-based sites alone will not support the same number of walruses that the mixed seasonal use of sea ice and land has permitted in the past. To help slow or prevent global warming, we can use renewable energies instead, We need to move away from burning fossil fuels that release harmful gases into our atmosphere. Through new renewable energy sources, we can create a sustainable future that can sustain life for many generations. And also we can adopt responsible consumption habits, whether its regarding food, clothing, cosmetics, or cleaning products. And last but not least, recycling is an absolute necessity for dealing with waste. With all this in mind, we can prevent so many walruses from dying from jumping off cliffs.
April 30, 2019 at 10:29 PM
Anonymous said…
It’s great that Neflix and other “news sources” have made steps towards providing accurate and enlightening information. This kinda influx in information has revolutionized this generation’s learning of new things/concepts. Consequentially, this increase has given us the ability to become more socially aware of situations like this. Thanks Neflix. (:
May 1, 2019 at 12:51 PM
Anonymous said…
It is essential that we are aware of this serious issue. We need to do our best to slow down our impact on global climate change. We do not realize how every small act can have a huge impact on the environment. The small acts quickly add up and can greatly harm ecosystems and organisms, like mammals and corals. We need to bring more light to this topic so that people can be more aware of their actions and help stop this issue.
May 1, 2019 at 1:19 PM
Anonymous said…
I do agree with the belief that a primary contributor to this horrible phenomenon is global warming as a result of the primarily anthropogenic release of fossil fuels that act as greenhouse gases and increase the temperature of the Earth, which causes land ice to melt and subsequently increase in sea levels. One way that we can all help prevent the occurrence of walruses falling off cliffs is by targeting the underlying issue by reducing anthropogenic contributions to global warming by reducing fossil fuel emissions and switching to relying more on clean and renewable energy sources, but this solution would take a lot of time and cooperation between people are the globe to actually be effective, so this solution should be considered to be more long term. More short term solutions could include the increasing awareness that education fosters regarding the negative consequences of global warming on certain species. Also, scientists and researchers could look into the viability of developing artificial land ice shelves so that whales could simulate the action of climbing on top of the land ice while not endangering themselves by climbing up a cliff. However, this proposal does have limitations in the forms of the viability and availability of the necessary technology, the required investment costs associated with this project, and other possible detrimental effects that this plan could have on the environment.
May 1, 2019 at 2:14 PM
Anonymous said…
Although global warming is widely discussed and it's effects are observed all over the world, it is sad that this topic is not more widely known. I did not know until I read this posts that walruses were affected by global warming in this way. I think this goes to show how greatly ll ecosystems can be affected by rising temperatures with the death of one species such as walruses especially after we have studied how interconnected, dependent and fragile these ecosystems can be. I am glad that netflix had made it a point to showcase this in one of its documentaries as it seems to be one of the extremely important issues that people do not really know about.
May 1, 2019 at 6:11 PM
Anonymous said…
This is so sad! I have absolutely no idea what could be done about this. Maybe something similar to fish ladders could be created in places of high importance to this species. Besides that I think it’s really interesting how environmental concerns have become to popular that you would learn about this on a regular Netflix-binge. Pretty cool.
May 2, 2019 at 9:34 AM
Anonymous said…
This makes me really sad to see the pictures of the dead walruses at the bottom of the cliff. They do mean well, but the walruses aren’t capable of making it safely to their companions at the bottom of the incline. This really just shows the effects of melting continental ice sheets, and we are almost to the point of no return. We must act now to reduce our environmental impact and expulsion of greenhouse gases, even if this means a small tweak in the lifestyle for every person. Whatever we can do at this point, we should do. Just looking at the severity of the consequences, we should all be willing to change something.
May 2, 2019 at 1:33 PM
Anonymous said…
I think it's pretty cool to include Netflix as a "news source"! Many of us watch wayyyy more Netflix than the actual news, so using media and social media platforms to introduce these unknown ideas to the vast public is a good sign. What saddens me deeply is the picture of the walruses at the bottom of the cliff. Even animals don't deserve such a death, and it is far too inhumane. I would like to research how many of these walruses have died in such a manner, and how the numbers compare to walrus poaching.
May 2, 2019 at 3:34 PM
Anonymous said…
This is really sad!! I think that most people, upon hearing the term “global climate change” do not normally think of walruses and that in itself shows how much we are aware of the consequences of all of our carbon emissions. We need to be more enlightened of such instances such as these to change our ways for more sustainable ways. I think that animals should not have to suffer such deaths because of our actions.
May 3, 2019 at 12:27 PM
Mahir Vohra said…
Global warming is certainly the main cause of the endangerment of walruses. I think that at this point, we need to accept that we have made horrible environmental mistakes in the past, but we must move on and adopt a lifestyle which allows us to completely eliminate any potential for ozone layer damage as well as patch up some of our previous mistakes.
May 4, 2019 at 1:02 PM
Michelle Sun said…
Typically, we think of habitat loss as the loss of forests or the pollution of terrestrial habitats. At least I have never thought of floating ice caps as habitats, and thus never recognized the possibility of losing them or the impact it would have on the animals they rely on them. The land masses of walruses that the post showed was shocking, because I never thought such a thing could happen. Global warming is at least partially responsible for the melting of the ice plateaus these walruses rely on.
May 4, 2019 at 2:51 PM
Anonymous said…
This matter isn't the first time people have documented the mass-falling deaths of walruses. Back in 1996, Alaskan wildlife officials reported the occurrence of the same incident. At the time, when sea ice was still more extensive and climate impacts less well-understood, researchers didn't blame the deaths on climate change. Although change does seem to have made these sorts of events more common, in Alaska, these mass fallings appear to local observers to have declined in recent years thanks to human efforts to manage the environments of the haul-outs. Reductions in overhead planes and other human disturbances appear to have prevented at least some of the deaths. Coastal management efforts, led by local native groups, have also been effective to some degree.
May 5, 2019 at 1:46 PM
Anonymous said…
It shocks me that this many walruses die jumping off cliffs. It’s also a very sad reality that is undoubtedly a result of human actions. We need to start efforts to reduce our emissions and thereby reducing the deterioration of ice burgs that these walruses rely on. When we think of global climate change, we merely think about the change in weather patterns and the general habitats of animals. But this problem is so much more than that. This is endangered species and causing enormous environmental deficits. We need to start making plans to fix this problem as soon as possible.
May 6, 2019 at 8:30 AM
Anonymous said…
I had no idea walruses did that until reading this. We need to try harder to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stop global warming. This isn’t the only issue caused by our emissions, and it will only get worse if we don’t do something now.
May 6, 2019 at 3:09 PM
Anonymous said…
That’s crazy to hear that walruses die in such way, its disheartening to find out that these animals are didn’t at such a large rate due to a man made issue. I think it is nessecary to reducse our emissions which would result in a decreased rate of melting of the icebergs. The impacts of emissions not only effects the environment directly but also causes the death of many species.
May 7, 2019 at 8:27 AM
Anonymous said…
This article came as quite a shock to me as I had no idea such a thing could be happening. The fact that these walruses are jumping of cliffs is horrific. I believe global warming is to blame as it is increasing temperatures globally leading to the melting of more ice which leaves the walruses exposed and vulnerable. I believe a solution could be to alter the walruses environment to be safer for them. Makeshift hills could be created and replace the steep cliffs.
May 7, 2019 at 8:49 AM
Anonymous said…
Reading the facts about the deaths of walruses was quite a shock and the fact that their deaths is due to human causes is terrible. Global warming has huge effects on the earth, but I had no idea that it could also affect animal populations to this degree. I believe that the most effective way to reduce these deaths is to create environments for these animals and then transport them to these locations.
May 7, 2019 at 12:10 PM
Anonymous said…
This was a very surprising article to read as I never knew our actions could lead to such tragedies. We as human beings should hold a certain of responsibility for the sufferings these animals are going through. Changes must be made and it must start with finding solutions to slowing global warming.
May 7, 2019 at 12:44 PM
Anonymous said…
This is very sad and very tragic. The post was very informational and taught me a lot about they environment. We as human beings need to take responsibility and make the environment better. This is very disappointing.
May 7, 2019 at 12:45 PM
Anonymous said…
I had no idea walruses did this until reading this. That’s so sad. I think we need to find solutions to the tragedies that come as a result of our actions. Changes need to be made and we need to put in more effort to reduce emissions and better the environment.
May 7, 2019 at 8:28 PM
Anonymous said…
This article baffles me, as I did not know humans were the cause of such tragedies. The animals are clearly suffering, and it is our moral duty to help/aid them. We need to take in our hands to save the walruses, and make the environment better as a whole.
May 7, 2019 at 8:41 PM
Jibran Khalil said…
Although I understood that animals have been affected by global warming, I never quite grasped the extent of the harm. Your article illustrates the damage done to animals like the walruses; as ice melts, walruses are often left without a habitat. For walruses to die through such a horrific death - from a height - should really alert industries of the tangible effects of pollution. Although pollution and global warming may seem like some far off, distant problem, the effects are become more severe and tragic, as evident by the walrus population's deaths.
May 7, 2019 at 8:46 PM
Anonymous said…
This is such an incredibly sad topic. I knew that sea ice diminishing was negatively impacting marine animals. but I had no idea that it was to this extent. I think we should focus on these tragic realities in order to get people to pay attention. It’s terrible, but sometimes shocking things are the only way for people to truly grasp how dire a situation is. I think it’s good that a large company like Netflix is covering this topic.
May 7, 2019 at 10:20 PM
Anonymous said…
This is incredibly upsetting. I cannot believe that this is happening to the walruses, especially since few people highlight these issues. Global warming is absolutely a primary factor in this phenomenon so it is important that we reduce our emissions in order to protect marine animals who are especially at risk of extinction.
May 8, 2019 at 8:36 AM
Anonymous said…
This post was rather disturbing, as I had no idea that humans were the reason for such a tragedy. We must take a more conscious effort to reduce the effects of global warming. Humans must be aware that their actions don't impact themselves only, but all beings on this earth.
May 8, 2019 at 11:42 AM
Anonymous said…
I had no idea that this issue with walruses could be tied to global warming. It just goes to show how global warming can have so many consequences that we had no idea were possible. It’s sad that this is a normal occurrence and it makes me sad that these types of things are due to our negligence of taking care of our planet.
May 8, 2019 at 12:07 PM
Anonymous said…
This problem is somewhat odd but very disturbing. It is very surprising to learn that climate change's effects are so far-reaching and it is especially surprising that walruses falling from cliffs is a result of climate change. Nonetheless, these ice caps have already been melted and it may be necessary that the government watches over the walruses to monitor their populations. Regardless, this post makes me realize the vast consequences of humans actions and something must be done.
-Adam Ghanem
May 8, 2019 at 9:22 PM
Anonymous said…
It is really sad that despite the large global effort to stop the impacts of warming. Despite that all we do the changes that are happening to the arctic must be fixed and addressed forever if we want to keep the world stable.
May 9, 2019 at 9:51 AM
Anonymous said…
By just reading the title alone, I felt that this was an almost impossible, humorous situation, but upon reading further, I realized the severity of this phenomenon. I couldn't help but feel bad as I put myself in their shoes and imagined having to live in fear of falling out of my house to my death. There have been too many instances of damage that has occurred to the environment and animals in it due to us humans ruining the Earth. We should work together to implement stricter laws to prevent any of these events from happening.
May 14, 2019 at 12:18 PM
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