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The woodland caribou status in 1987 and in 2001 (latest I could find) is reconfirmed as threatened in Alberta. In BC and Saskatchewan, they are listed as secure although some populations are a concern. The woodland caribou both in Manitoba and the Northwest Territories are secure. Overall in Canada both ecotypes (mountain and boreal) are threatened. They are sadly imperiled in the USA.

The woodland caribou has a very visible distinct description. It is a medium-sized deer with a very predominant cream-colored mane, neck, tail, and rump area. Antlers are small on the female woodland caribou and the male have very large, elaborate, forward-curving antlers…

The thick, long winter coat of the woodland caribou safeguards them against the harsh winter temperatures and winds. Other adaptations include their short tails and small ears. Both, their hooves (large and crescent shaped) and their long legs equip them through snow and muskeg by effectively distributing their weight. These long legs and sizable hooves also provide them with their main source of food, that being the lichen.

The woodland caribou is finding that their ecosystems and habitats are changing. Population demise maybe occurring through poaching and hunting, land use such as road building and timber harvest, collisions with vehicles, humans requiring their land for energy extraction, climate change and predation, parasites and diseases.

Another consideration for the woodland caribou is that females will bear a calf only after they reach three years old. They only produce one calf per year. This is a lower rate of reproduction than the other deer species making it a challenge to overcome population diminution.

I’m amazed at what the majority of incidents for population decline points to for the woodland caribou, how about you?

Peace.