Researchers to reassess Baffin Island caribou

The last census showed a dramatic population decline

Researchers are planning to conduct a census of caribou on Baffin Island for the first time in a decade. A count in 2014 found caribou (Rangifer tarandus) on the island had declined from about 150,000 in the 1980s to about 4,600.

Researchers are hopeful the numbers are recovering after the Nunavut government imposed tighter hunting regulations.

“At this time, based on the annual composition surveys and hunter observations, there are positive and encouraging signs of possible recovery in some south Baffin areas,” said David Qavvik, Nunavut’s minister of environment.

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Header Image: Ice covered fjord on Baffin Island with Davis Strait in the back.