Caribou herds and populations in Canada facts for kids

Caribou are amazing animals that live across Canada, from the far north to the Rocky Mountains and from coast to coast. They are a type of reindeer and come in four main kinds, or subspecies: Barren-ground, Woodland, Grant's, and Peary.

For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples like the Caribou Inuit, Inuvialuit, and Gwich'in have relied on caribou for food, clothing, and shelter. Caribou are a very important part of their culture and way of life.

To help protect caribou, scientists and governments divide them into special groups called "designatable units" (DUs). There are eleven of these groups, including Barren-Ground, Boreal, and Peary caribou. Sadly, many caribou populations in Canada are in danger. More than half of these groups are now considered endangered, meaning they are at high risk of disappearing forever. Even huge herds that were once safe are now threatened.

Caribou Families in Canada

Canada is home to four main types of caribou, all part of the Rangifer tarandus family. These are the Woodland, Grant's, Barren-ground, and Peary caribou. You can find all four of these types in Inuit Nunangat, which is the homeland of the Inuit people.

To help manage and protect them, caribou populations are also grouped into different areas. For example, there are boreal caribou in many provinces and territories, Atlantic-Gaspésie caribou in Quebec, and barren-ground caribou across the North. These groups include famous herds like the George River and Leaf River caribou.

Woodland Caribou

The boreal forest of Canada is a very important home for the endangered boreal woodland caribou. These caribou need large, untouched areas of forest to stay safe from predators. The boreal forest is a huge area, covering about 25% of Canada's land, with swamps, bogs, and different types of trees.

Woodland caribou are the largest caribou in Canada and have the darkest fur. Most of them do not migrate, meaning they stay in the same area. However, some, especially those in mountainous regions, move to different elevations depending on the season.

Caribou crossing Leaf River

Some woodland caribou, like the George River caribou and Leaf River caribou, are called "forest-tundra" caribou because they migrate between forests and the open tundra.

In Labrador and Quebec, there are also woodland caribou herds that don't migrate much, like the Lac Joseph, Red Wine Mountains, and Mealy Mountains herds. In winter, these herds sometimes mix with the migrating George River herd.

South Selkirk Mountain Caribou: A Sad Story

The South Selkirk mountain caribou were a special type of woodland caribou that used to live in the Selkirk Mountains, crossing the border between British Columbia, Canada, and the United States. They were the last wild caribou herd to regularly visit the lower 48 states.

Sadly, this herd got smaller and smaller. In 2009, there were about 50 animals, but by 2018, only three were left. In 2019, the last female caribou from this herd was moved to a special pen to try and help save highly endangered herds. But by 2019, the South Selkirk herd was completely gone from the wild in that area, meaning it was "locally extinct."

Atlantic-Gaspésie Caribou

In Quebec, small groups of Atlantic-Gaspésie woodland caribou live in isolated mountain areas. There were fewer than 120 adults in 2014, and they are expected to disappear by 2056 if nothing changes. They used to live across New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Their numbers dropped because of human activities like forest management, which led to more predators like coyotes and black bears.

Barren-ground Caribou

Caribou calving grounds, 1983–2001

Barren-ground caribou are the most common type of caribou. They form huge herds that migrate every year to and from their birthing grounds, usually following the same paths. These caribou are a bit larger and darker than other types. Major barren-ground herds in Canada include the Porcupine caribou herd, Cape Bathurst herd, and Bathurst herd. Because they migrate to the tundra, the Leaf River and George River herds are often grouped with barren-ground caribou.

Bluenose East-Bathurst Caribou

The Bluenose East-Bathurst caribou herds move between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. Local communities and governments work together to manage these herds. For example, in 2016, a plan was made to limit hunting to help the caribou. However, mining exploration has sometimes gone ahead even when governments opposed it, which can harm the caribou's birthing grounds.

The Gwich’in people in the Northwest Territories have hunted Bluenose East, Bluenose West, and Porcupine caribou herds for a very long time. In the Gwich’in language, the word for caribou is tradivadzaih.

Bathurst Herd: A Big Drop

The Bathurst caribou herd's home stretches from northern Saskatchewan to the Arctic coast. This herd has seen a huge drop in numbers. In the mid-1980s, there were about 470,000 caribou, but by 2018, there were only 8,200.

Because of this decline, the Government of Northwest Territories stopped hunting for many people in 2010. By 2015, a total hunting ban was put in place for all hunters. This has been very hard for families who rely on caribou for food and to practice their culture.

Scientists are worried that mining activities have disturbed the caribou's habitat, making their decline even worse. In 2019, governments even pledged money for a new road that cuts through the Bathurst caribou's birthing grounds, which could further impact the herd.

Dolphin-Union Caribou

The Dolphin-Union caribou are special. They look like Peary caribou but are genetically closer to Barren-ground caribou.

Porcupine Caribou Herd (PCH)

Caribou herd ranges

The Porcupine Caribou herd, found in northwest Canada and northeast Alaska, makes the longest land migration of any mammal on Earth. They travel about 1,500 miles (2,400 km) each year from their winter homes in the forest to their birthing grounds on the coastal plain near the Beaufort Sea.

Caribou calves are born in early June. They are most vulnerable to predators like golden eagles, grizzly bears, and wolves during their first three weeks when they depend on their mothers' milk. About a quarter of them die during this time.

Scientists are studying how proposed oil and gas development in Alaska could affect this herd, which has been important to people and the Arctic food web for thousands of years. In 2019, the herd size was about 218,000, which is an increase from the 1970s.

Peary Caribou

The smallest caribou in North America are the Peary caribou. They live on the islands of the Canadian High Arctic and have the lightest-colored fur. There are very few places suitable for them to live. In 2016, there were about 13,000 adult Peary caribou.

Southampton Island Caribou

The Southampton Island caribou live on an island at the mouth of Hudson Bay. In 2012, their numbers had dropped by almost 75%, from about 30,000 in 1997 to 7,800 in 2011. This was due to disease and too much hunting.

To help them recover, the government set a limit on how many caribou could be hunted. This herd had actually been hunted to extinction in the 1950s but was brought back when 50 caribou were moved to the island in 1968.

Caribou Groups and Conservation

Caribou are divided into different herds or "designated units" for management and monitoring. In 2011, researchers identified 35 northern caribou herds across the Canadian Arctic.

• • Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR), Northwest Territories (NT)

Protecting Caribou

The Canadian government keeps a list of wildlife species at risk. This list helps track species that are in danger, from those of "special concern" to those that are "extinct." This list is updated every year by experts.

Many caribou populations are on this list:

• Boreal caribou are listed as threatened.
• Atlantic-Gaspésie and Dolphin and Union caribou are endangered.
• Barren-ground caribou are threatened.
• Central Mountain, Southern Mountain, Eastern Migratory, and Torngat Mountains caribou are endangered.
• Newfoundland and Northern Mountain caribou are of special concern.
• Sadly, the Caribou dawsoni subspecies from British Columbia is now extinct.

In 2018, a report showed that 37 of the 51 boreal woodland caribou herds were shrinking. The George River caribou herd, once the largest in the world with almost a million animals, had dropped to only 14,200 by 2014. The Leaf River Herd also decreased significantly and could be at risk of extinction by 2080.

Scientists are very worried about the large barren-ground caribou herds in the Arctic and the eastern migratory herds in Hudson Bay. These herds were not considered in trouble 15 years ago, but now scientists recommend listing the eastern migratory caribou as endangered, which is the highest level of threat.

Why Caribou Migrate

Many caribou herds, especially woodland and barren-ground types, migrate back to the same areas where the females give birth. This is called "natal homing." They are often named after these special birthing grounds, like the George River caribou herd and the Porcupine caribou herd.

Caribou Names in Indigenous Languages

Caribou have many different names in Indigenous languages, showing their deep connection to these animals:

• Qalipu/Xalibu (Mi’kmaq)
• Minunasawa atikw (Innu)
• Ahtik/Atik (Cree)
• Tǫdzi (Tłįchǫ)
• T’onzi/Tohzi (North Slavey)
• Vadzaih (Gwichin)
• Ch’atthaii (Vuntut Gwichin)