The last caribou that was part of the Southern Selkirks herd was captured by biologists this week. The female caribou is believed to be the last of the herd that regularly crossed into the lower 48 of the US.
Biologists working for British Columbia captured the caribou in the Selkirk Mountains just north of the US Canadian border. The female caribou was taken to a rearing pen, a controversial plan for the highly endangered animal.
The biologists intend to release the caribou along with two others from another endangered herd, into a larger and more stable herd in Canada.
Biologists are unsure whether wild caribou will ever inhabit the contiguous US again. Conservation efforts have failed to prevent the loss of herds at the southern end of the caribou’s range.
Photo: “anim2001” by NOAA Photo Library is licensed under CC BY 2.0
ANARCHIMEDIA 