In an unprecedented move, the Quebec Ministry of the Environment captured and placed in temporary captivity half of the Gaspésie caribou, a population that has been in major decline for several years.
Even if the “capture operation” was carried out in February, the government only published its results this Tuesday, at the same time as it announced a consultation with a view to implementing protective measures. for this last population of caribou living south of the St. Lawrence.
According to data published by the ministry, more than half of the last caribou in Gaspésie have been placed in captivity, or 13 of the 25 animals. Among these, there are 10 females and three males.
“Although they are still in the acclimation period, the caribou are doing well. Experienced personnel are permanently on site to monitor the acclimatization of the caribou to captivity,” it was specified in a press release.
The objective of this operation, which is in its second edition, is to ensure that pregnant females can give birth in an enclosure, protected from predators. This also helps protect the fawns during the first months of their life, during which they are very vulnerable to predation.
In 2023, six females were captured. But in the end, the results were zero. What’s more, one of the females released at the end of summer was killed by a poacher. She was fitted with a radio collar.
“Great precariousness”
Despite last year’s failure, the capture operation was still attempted again this year. It must be said that in 2019, the herd, already in sharp decline, was estimated at 40 animals, while the inventories published based on data from 2017 reported the presence of around 75 animals. During the first censuses, in the 1950s, their number was estimated between 700 and 1500. When inventories became systematic, in the 1980s, the population did not exceed 250 individuals. This isolated herd is therefore in a critical situation.
According to government experts, “the recruitment rate”, i.e. the presence of fawns, does not “allow them to consider the population as stable”. Result: “the mountain caribou population of Gaspésie remains in a context of great precariousness due to the small size of the groups frequenting the three sectors, the low recruitment rate and the little exchanges between these groups”. The three sectors in question are Mounts McGerrigle, Albert and Logan, those where caribou are found in the park.
“A report on caribou births in the captive keeping facilities of Val-d’Or, Charlevoix and Gaspésie will be released once all the females have given birth, at the beginning of July 2024,” the company also indicated. the Ministry.
That of Val-d’Or, which has barely nine animals, and that of Charlevoix, which has 30 caribou, have both been permanently placed in enclosures. In both cases, it seems impossible to consider releasing them without moving forward with measures to protect their habitats.
In the Val-d’Or region, it has been severely disrupted by the forestry industry and mining projects. In the case of Charlevoix, territorial development has also pushed caribou towards extinction and a major wind project risks encroaching on forest areas which could constitute their last refuge.