Caribou in Canada Across the country, caribou are struggling to survive in their ever-changing habitat. Facing
a modern world, they are losing the battle.
Northern significance: Residential & Commercial
More than 2.4 million caribou inhabit Canada, from the southern
border to Ellesmere Island and from the Yukon to the east coast
of Newfoundland. But despite the large number, caribou herds are
facing hard times – population declines have put many caribou
herds at risk.
Photo: iStockphoto/J. Schegietz
Most notably threatened are the barren ground caribou,
a subspecies that comprises about half of all caribou in Canada.
Found throughout the northwestern regions, their numbers have declined
from 40 to 90 percent in the past decade.
These waning numbers are of concern because losing the caribou,
especially in the northern regions of the continent, would have
sweeping consequences. Caribou are the primary source of meat for
most northern mainland residents and they contribute largely to
the northern economy through wildlife tourism and recreational hunting.
More importantly, the animals play a unique role in the history
and culture of many First Nations and Inuit.
Dene, Inuvialuit, Métis and non-aboriginal peoples from
almost all northern communities depend on hunting caribou to feed
their families. A minimum of 11,000 caribou are harvested every
year, equating to an economic value of $17 million. Cut out the
caribou and these people would have to rely more on the less nutritionally
valuable and more costly food shipments from Southern Canada.
No other animal can replace the caribou in its role as provider.
Caribou are an important part of the northern tourist industry,
attracting naturalists, photographers and recreational hunters.
Many northern residents’ livelihoods rely on the state of
the caribou herds and the declining numbers has led to government-imposed
hunting restrictions that are hurting local businesses.
Jim Peterson, an outfitter and president of the Barren Ground
Caribou Outfitters Association in Yellowknife, is concerned about
the reduced tag allocation given to outfitters. The number of
caribou allowed per outfitter has decreased from 132 to 83 in
2007, and the government has submitted a proposal to further reduce
the quota to 35.
“That would mean over $300,000 in lost revenue,” says
Peterson, “which would effectively put us out of business.”
Beyond economic value
The caribou is more than a source of nutrition and income, says
Monte Hummel, environmentalist, president emeritus of the World
Wildlife Fund Canada, and author of an upcoming book on the state
of the caribou in Canada. “The caribou are a source of cultural
pride. They are historically and spiritually significant.”
To the Dene people, the caribou is the most important wildlife
species and is central to their legends, stories and spiritual
rituals. “Losing the caribou would be like cutting themselves
off from their past,” says Hummel, “and they want
to keep the caribou around to be a link to their future. The future
of the north and future of caribou are one in the same.”