Health status

Cetaceans form the most charismatic and emblematic species about which we still need to learn so many things. Belugas, with their Canadian populations almost all found in the arctic, except for the endangered population in the Saint-Lawrence River, are truly considered as sentinels for the health of the ecosystems they are part of and upon which many other communities depend on. It is within this context that monitoring the belugas in the Beaufort Sea has become a crucial task.

In 2018 and 2019, Émilie L. Couture, a veterinarian at the Zoo de Granby and a collaborator for The Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC), was part of a group of experts working to place satellite transmitters on 14 belugas of the Beaufort Sea. Tracking of these animals will allow monitoring of the species within the context of climate change.