Brief: Lone female from Columbia South herd moved to Central Selkirk maternity pen

Parks Canada says the remaining female from the Columbia South herd, known to use habitat in Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks, has been relocated to the Central Selkirk maternity pen near Nakusp. The Columbia South Caribou herd has been down to one female since winter 2021-2022. In an update on April 3, Parks Canada noted that, “on her own the caribou has a low chance of survival and no change of having calves.” The female caribou was relocated on March 28, and according to Parks Canada is in good health.

Recognizing the risks of relocation, Parks Canada along with partners in the Revelstoke Complex and Central Selkirks Caribou Technical Working Group recommended moving her to the Central Selkirk maternity pen. The maternity pen is operated by the Arrow Lakes Caribou Society and is monitored by veterinary support. This reduces the risk to the caribou following capture and relocation.

“The decision to translocate this caribou was a difficult one. The Columbia South herd is now extirpated (no caribou remain in the herd’s range) and we recognize this may cause a sense of grief for some people,” Parks Canada said in the statement.

The caribou will remain in the 6.6-hectare maternity pen enclosure for the next few months to acclimatize to the new surroundings. There are nine other female caribou and their calves in the pen. All the caribou will be released into the Central Selkirks herd range in the summer.

The Columbia South and Central Selkirks caribou herds belong to the southern mountain population of the woodland caribou listed as a threatened species under the Species at Risk Act.