Mountain Caribou
There are three main types of caribou in Canada. They are called “woodland caribou” if they live in the forest, “barren-ground caribou” if they live in the arctic tundra, and “mountain caribou” if they live in mountainous regions. Mountain caribou eat different foods, behave in different ways, and live further south than woodland caribou and barren-ground caribou.
In BC, mountain caribou only live in the inland rainforest. They spend spring, summer and fall in old growth rainforests in the bottoms of valleys (called “low-elevation” rainforests) where they eat lichen, a combination of algae and fungus. In early and late winter they use their giant snowshoe feet to climb the mountains and stand on top of deep snow to eat lichen from the tree tops. Baby mountain caribou are born in May, and stay with their mom for at least one year. They can run faster than a adult human when they are only one day old! Scientists believe that at least 10,000 mountain caribou existed historically in BC, but the exact number may have been even larger. Today only 1,670 mountain caribou remain. The number of mountain caribou is decreasing because both their low-elevation (summer) and high-elevation (winter) forest homes are being logged. After decades of logging, the low-elevation old growth forests are almost gone.
Mountain Caribou Photo credit:Terry Parker
Logging causes problems for mountain caribou not only because it destroys their habitat, but also because moose and deer move into logged areas to eat grass and brush that grows in clearcuts. Wolves and cougars then move in to hunt the moose and deer. Unfortunately, the wolves and cougars also find the endangered mountain caribou and chase them into the thick, brushy clearcuts (areas where all the trees have been cut down). Caribou can’t move around very well in clearcuts so they make an easy catch for a quick cougar, and maybe a tastier one too!
The main way to protect mountain caribou is to stop logging their habitat. Scientists have studied endangered animals in the inland rainforest and have made maps showing that 55% of the inland rainforest needs to be protected including all the low-elevation forest and some of the high-elevation forest.We also need to restore habitat that has been cut down. When the forests that have been logged mature, many of the deer and moose will then return to areas away from mountain caribou, and many of the wolves and cougars will follow.
For more information
mountaincaribou.org
vws.org
Snowmobilers and skiers who access remote mountain areas also present challenges for mountain caribou. The noise and increased activity can kill caribou by forcing them to abandon their habitat. These activities need to be more carefully controlled so the remaining mountain caribou are left alone.
