British Columbia's Mountain Caribou Recovery Project- Where We Have Been

Abstract

The southern part of the Purcell Mountains has been identified provincially as the Southeast Kootenay planning unit for mountain caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) recovery. Within it, caribou are only known to remain within the Purcells-South herd near Cranbrook, and the 14 caribou there are normally separated into two bands. Recovery without population augmentation is very unlikely. Augmenting the herd, if successful, would dramatically increase genetic diversity, decrease the risk from random events, speed growth, and be consistent with provincial direction to augment herds having <50 caribou. Translocations of 15 to >100 caribou have been successful at many sites across North America, including locations where predators include wolves or cougars. This presentation provides a project update and details plans for future work.