Removing wolves to protect caribou

The Northwest Territories are beginning an aerial wolf removal operation as part of a plan to conserve struggling caribou populations. The five-year plan seeks to remove 80% of the wolves (Canis lupus) from the winter ranges of the Bathurst and Bluenose-East caribou (Rangifer tarandus) herds. The government plans to remove 27 to 37 wolves from the Bathurst herd’s winter range and 66 to 90 wolves from the Bluenose-East winter range.

“We hope we’ll see a response which will lead to an overall population recovery,” Brett Elkin, acting assistant deputy minister for the Northwest Territories Department of Environment, told the CBC.

Read more from the CBC here.