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Since my move to the west coast in Canada, I’m surprised that in 12 days of sporadic visits to the Canadian Rockies, I have yet to see any Canadian caribous.

A far cry from 27 years ago when I lived here for 3 years. They were a daily spectacle. You could always count on having your camera full of various shots of Canadian caribous in herds, not just one or two.

According to the University of Saskatchewan, the Canadian caribous that are highly considered threatened…

and endangered, (also according to the Endangered Species Act and also recognized as the “reindeer” which belongs to the deer family) fall into the three following categories:

1. Peary Caribou (Rangifer tarandus pearyi) found in Northern Canada and the Arctic. Since 1979 they have been high on the endangered although not currently a protected species.

2. Barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) are being contemplated for special protection under the Endangered Species Act, but are not yet threatened.

3 Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) or the mountain caribou is high on the endangered list. Hunters like them because they migrate in herds. If you buy a yearly pass access to the Canadian mountain regions, the Woodland caribou is pictured there on the front, and on the back it describes how it is threatened with extinction in some areas such as in Banff National Park, Alberta where “as few as four caribou may remain in a herd which numbered about 30 animals fifteen years ago.”

No wonder I’m no longer seeing these Canadian caribous throughout my travels. It almost seems to be a lonely visit out to the Canadian Rockies.

A species main reason to become endangered or threatened is due to destruction of some or all of their natural environment and habitat, by humans.

We need to find better solutions to coexist with Mother Nature and her delicate ecosystems. Reduce pollution, become better urban developers and take a more measurable approach to our encroachment on their territory. Canadian caribous are especially sensitive to foreign noises ie: snowmobiles, during mating and birthing seasons. Hiking, motor boats and other human recreation can be devastating to these reproductive habits and other sensitive habitat factors.

Apparently here in Canada it is estimated that we are losing our wildlife lands at a rate of 240 hectares/hour. Hummmm.

Peace.