There are still caribou in the Cariboo, for now.
Despite the stabilization of some of the herds through habitat protection and predator culling, the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship said that the overall trend is still that of a decline. As of 2023, all caribou herds in the Cariboo Region are considered threatened under the federal Species at Risk Act.
There are currently an estimated 1,021 caribou across the Cariboo-Chilcotin separated into several herds.
The most populous herd by far is the Itcha-Ilgachuz herd on the Chilcotin Plateau west of Williams Lake with a population of 551 caribou. The Charlotte Alplands and Rainbow populations, which share the plateau, are at 20 and 27 individuals respectively.
“Although population numbers can vary from year to year, the long-term trend is declining. Through monitoring it was determined that there are very high rates of wolf predation,” the ministry said. “Habitat protection measures are in place for much of the herds’ area and in 2020, a predator reduction program was initiated to halt the decline and support caribou recovery in these ranges. Two of the three subpopulations, including the largest Itcha-Ilgachuz herd, have since stabilized as a result.”
As a result of the wolf cull biologists documented the highest adult female survival rate and highest proportion of calves in the population since the 1980s.
READ MORE: ‘Critically low’ caribou population prompts wolf cull in the Chilcotin
The herds closest to 100 Mile House are the herds that make up the North Cariboo Mountains, Barkerville and Wells Gray North subpopulations, currently sitting at 169, 53 and 201 individuals respectively. These caribou primarily make the forested and alpine areas of the Cariboo Mountains their home.
While the North Cariboo Mountains and Wells Gray North herds are now considered stable, this comes after the North Cariboo Mountains population declined by 50 per cent since the mid-2000s. A predator management program was implemented in 2022 in the North Cariboo and initial results indicate good calf numbers. The ministry plans to do a more detailed survey this March to update their population estimates.
Despite these steps the Barkerville caribou herd continues to decline, losing 17 per cent of its population over the last three years. If these trends continue the ministry believes the herd is at risk of extirpation, or localized extinction, imminently. Further predator reduction efforts are underway this winter to prevent this outcome.
“The decision to include predator reduction as part of our caribou recovery approach was not made lightly,” the ministry said in a statement to the simplymastery. “Our approach is based on science and sound wildlife management principles, and we work with local First Nations to ensure their consent and incorporate Indigenous knowledge where available. Predator reduction is just one tool used to support the recovery of caribou herds. Habitat protection, habitat restoration, maternal penning, recreation management, supplemental feeding, and population augmentation are also key parts of our broader caribou recovery strategy in B.C.”
