Pregnant Seals Swarm Canadian Islands - No Ice To Give Birth On

[hatrack]

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia - Several islands off Nova Scotia, Canada, are being inundated by thousands of pregnant seals forced to give birth on shore by unusually mild weather that has prevented the Gulf of St. Lawrence from freezing.

About 3,000 gray seals are hunkered down on Pictou Island, a narrow, 6-mile-long island in the Northumberland Strait that is home to only about 15 people year-round. Scientists with Canada's Fisheries Department say the mammals have moved to at least two other islands in the area.

The warm weather has persisted across the Maritimes for months, reflecting a trend that has left a string of broken weather records across the country.

"From time to time we see seals coming onshore to give birth, but the ice conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence are extremely unusual this year," said Fisheries Department spokesman Leroy MacEachern. "There's been no cold weather and no ice formed in the gulf."

EDIT

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11127975/

Oh, and in case you were wondering, here are the five most-viewed stories on MSNBC today:

1. Man dies in jump from Empire State Building
2. Andrea Yates released from hail on bail
3. Editor fired after publication of Islam cartoons
4 U.S. Threats? Al-Qaeda, Iran and North Korea.
5. "Idol" doesn't mess with Texas.

[xchrom]

1. it's always been said that wall street hates instablity...

i wonder when wall street will start to react to articles like this?


with the environment in severe trouble for quite a while now -- i largely think that saying is a lie.

[ClusterFreak]

2. Earth to end in three hours....

...but first, will Paris and Nicole ever reconcile?

Film at eleven.

:puke:

[xultar]

3. Why do Liberals keep pushing the global warning thing. Obviously

there's no proof.