In just four hours, the Arrow Lakes Caribou Society (ALCS) managed to round up 10 cows and one calf from three sites on Sunday, March 30, swiftly hitting the 2025 target for the fourth year of its maternity pen program near Nakusp.
All gathered from northeast of Nakusp by helicopter and pickup truck, the 10 adult females have spent previous summer seasons in ALCS's Central Selkirk Caribou Maternity Pen, while the year-old female calf was born last year in the pen.
Supporting these captures were the B.C. government's Caribou Recovery Program team, wildlife veterinarians, local stakeholders, Colville Confederated Tribes and ALCS volunteers.
"Caribou were captured and transported by helicopter to the landing zone near the maternity pen where they were transferred into a pick up with an attendant, and carefully transported to the maternity pen," a release from ALCS reads. "At the pen, wildlife veterinarians checked the animals and collected baseline health samples and data."
The samples will reveal in the coming weeks which of the caribou cows are pregnant. Throughout their stay in the pen, they're fed a high-nutrient diet of lichen and pellets.
"All 11 caribou are adjusting nicely," ALCS said, noting the purpose of the maternity pen program is to protect pregnant cows from predators such as cougars, wolves, grizzlies and wolverines, increasing calves' likelihood of survival.
Earlier in March, ALCS told Black Press Media at a ceremony outside the pen that it hoped to support all 12 known female caribou this year.
Read Black Press Media's previous coverage of the ALCS and its maternity pen work
Now, this year's caribou cohort will live another calving season in the pen through May and June, to be released in late July subject to factors including temperature.
To limit human disturbance to the caribou-in-residence, a gate with informational signage is installed 600 metres up along Kuskanax Forest Service Road, which veers left off Hot Springs Road, and will shut during "critical periods" such as May calving.
"Outside of these critical times, slow, quiet, and respectful access will be possible as per posted signage and under the direction of ALCS and the Ministry of Forests," ALCS added.
As Black Press Media also previously reported, southern mountain caribou herds have been abandoning their unique and generations-old practice of migrating up and down mountains, a loss driven by human activity and resulting climate change.
