An Experiment with Habitat, Caribou and Wolves....

[Walking Buffalo]

Do Woodland Caribou need old growth and lichen to thrive, even survive?

Will wolves exterminate Caribou if given the chance, in opposition to this so called "Balance in Nature" concept?


An isolated Island in Ontario offered researchers an opportunity to learn.

See how fast things happen....

1982 - Eight caribou are translocated from Slate Island to Michipicoten Island, a 71 square mile Provincial Park. No wolves present, No hunting allowed.

2011 - Caribou herd is estimated at 680.
- Noteworthy is the Island is not considered prime caribou habitat, no lichen.
Caribou thrived without this food source, considered Critical by some.

2012- Four wolves found on Island, believed to have crossed to the Island by ice during an unusual cold spell.

2017 - Wolf pack has grown to 18.

2017 - Caribou herd has been reduced to 30 ! A 95% reduction in just Four years....

With the experiment at and end due to an inevitable extirpation of the remaining 'Bou, government officials are preparing to translocate the remaining caribou off Michipicoten and back to Slate.... social licence has removed the option to kill the wolves...


Lessons learned.

Woodland Caribou DO NOT need old growth as a food source for survival.
One pack of wolves wiped out a herd of 700 caribou in just Four years!

The government will choose to translocate endangered Caribou rather than kill a few wolves.



http://calgaryherald.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/caribou-have-a-right-to-live-says-first-nation-chief-trying-to-save-the-animals/wcm/b13c51d4-d9d9-48b0-adf0-8d1b7542a0eb

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michipicoten_Island

[bearvalley]

Thanks Walking Buffalo, I’ve been trying to say the same thing for years.
BC had one caribou herd that increases even tho the area has been logged hard for the last 30 years.
The Itcha/ilgatchuz caribou numbers have crashed as the predator load built up.

[LBM]

An island, I will admit I didn't read the attached links but what else lives on there any other food source for the wolves.
Maybe the caribou over populated and there food source was being depletaed.
What do you think was really going to happen on an island with no place to escape.
Not a good comparison IMO

[Walking Buffalo]

An island, I will admit I didn't read the attached links but what else lives on there any other food source for the wolves.
Maybe the caribou over populated and there food source was being depletaed.
What do you think was really going to happen on an island with no place to escape.
Not a good comparison IMO


Good to see you are still willing to admit ignorance and still be willing to give an opinion....
Some things in Nature don't change much, Just as on Michipicoten.

[Dannybuoy]

Thanks Walking Buffalo, I’ve been trying to say the same thing for years.
BC had one caribou herd that increases even tho the area has been logged hard for the last 30 years.
The Itcha/ilgatchuz caribou numbers have crashed as the predator load built up.
The media needs to report stories like this with graphic photo's of what a wolf pack can and will do left unchecked .
Really LBM ??

[bearvalley]

It’s good to see Bergerud has dug into this.
Maybe some myths will start to fade......

[elknut]

The positive thing to learn from this is cariboo can utilize other food sources and survive and thrive...The other thing learned is wolves can wipe out 670 cariboo in 4 years and 1 more year they would be out of food..Don`t see how anyone with a brain can dispute that our wildlife depletion is mainly due to predators ..Man shooting wildlife isn`t putting the herds in trouble but predators are ..Common sense ...Dennis..

[steveo]

Wow, that is snowflake thinking at its best, remove the last few caribou so they are not exterminated but leave the wolves because of " the social licence that has removed the option to kill the wolves ". Remove the wolves food source and let them slowly starve to death is much better I guess than a bullet, much less graphic in some minds and easier to justify.