Endangered Species

Woodland Caribou(Rangifer tarandus caribou)

in Canada, there are three populations of woodland caribou each of which has a designated status
the Western population was designated rare in 1984; in 1990, the designation known as rare was changed to a new designation, vulnerable
the Maritime population was designated threatened in 1984
the Dawson population was designated extinct in 1984

the woodland caribou is well adapted to an Arctic environment
the muzzle of the woodland caribou is large, blunt, covered with fur and resembles that of cattle; its short and large ears are covered with fur and tucked behind the antlers; the caribou has a small bushy tail; its coat is long and thick; the feet of caribou are large and they have large crescent-shaped hooves, which make it easier to walk in snow-covered or swampy environments; in the summer, the hooves are flat and a pad can touch the ground; in winter, the pads shrink, become calloused and covered with hair, and the hooves grow; the fur of the woodland caribou is brown, and it is darker on its face, its chest, and on the dorsal part of the tail; the neck, mane and a stripe on the shoulders and sides are a creamy white; the underbelly and the underside of the tail are white; the legs are brown, except for a white patch just above the hooves; the colors of the fur can vary between the different sub-species
in march, velvety lumps appear on the head of the adult; the antlers grow very rapidly between May and July, and become fairly large by August, when they can measure 3 to 4 feet; older caribou begin losing their antlers at the beginning of November, and by February, all the young have also lost their antlers; the antlers of caribou are rarely mirror images
the fur of the woodland caribou is thick during winter and becomes thinner in summer

in 1982, it was estimated that there were 193 260 woodland caribou in Canada
woodland caribou are found throughout Newfoundland, but they have almost disappeared from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edwards Island, southern Ontario and southern Quebec; there is only one herd left south of the St. Lawrence River, in the GaspÚ Peninsula; a small herd has been brought into the Parc provincial des Laurentides, in Quebec, south of the Saguenay River; in Ontario, there are several groups near Lake Superior, but the largest numbers of woodland caribou are in the northwest of the province
woodland caribou are found mainly in the central regions of Manitoba and Saskatchewan
woodland caribou are scattered in the east, north and west of Alberta
there is one herd of woodland caribou in southern British Columbia, and several herds in the northern areas of the province
the numbers of woodland caribou in the Yukon are not well known, but in this territory, the woodland caribou seem to be integrated to the Fortymile and the Porcupine caribou herds
in the Northwest Territories, woodland caribou are found near Great Slave Lake, on the shores of Great Bear Lake, and in the Mackenzie Delta

woodland caribou prefer mature forests which contain large quantities of lichen and are associated with marshes, bogs, lakes and rivers
in mountainous environments, they are found in alpine prairies and valleys

female woodland caribou reach sexual maturity at 16 months; theoretically, males reach sexual maturity at 18-20 months, but they usually do not breed before 3 or 4 years; this is due to the hierarchical structure of the herd and competition between males
the reproduction rate of woodland caribou is low
breeding occurs at the end of September and the beginning of October; the young are born in mid June
woodland caribou are migratory, following both the seasons and the reproduction periods

destruction of habitat, intense hunting and disturbances caused by humans during the construction of roads and pipelines are all factors which have contributed to the decline of woodland caribou
predators, such as bears and wolves, are also responsible for the decline of herds, since they attack the young
in some areas, mainly in the Maritimes, woodland caribou have decreased due to disease

the hunting of woodland caribou is allowed everywhere in Canada, but regulations on the hunt do afford a certain measure of protection
normally, hunters can only kill one animal during the hunting season; hunting seasons are determined on a provincial basis
there is no hunting limit, on woodland caribou, for the native peoples; this applies in all areas where the caribou is found and at all seasons, because for the natives peoples, this hunt is one of subsistence

RJM

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