South Purcell mountain caribou transplant

[kootenaycat]

So, how much more money is going to be wasted, how many more caribou are they going to kill by trying to revive a dead herd? I haven't done a search but I know this isn't the first time they've transplanted caribou to this region, I think it's more like the 3rd or more. Each one has been unsuccessful. I'm guessing that if they stop trying then they will have to fabricate a new reason why sleds shouldn't be allowed up Sheep ck, Lost ck, Oscar ck etc. Hope that law suit rules in our favour in the states and will set a precedence.

 

[moyiesledhead]

Well.....they're still planning another 20 into the Purcells next spring. They say they've "learned a lot" from the first transplant. Pretty costly lesson for the 12 dead caribou (so far).

 

[Lowlife82]

Not a expert on caribou. Now that is is clear......mountain wildlife takes care of itself. It adapts and changes when it sees fit or the need to do so. Numbers will go down in some areas and rise in others. Garantee this happened long before humans started monitoring the numbers. If a population of animals starts to lower in one area perhaps it's not human influence but just not the area these creatures were meant to populate. Not saying we don't intrude(not as sledders but as humans) but there r so many other factors that people as a whole won't understand. Right or wrong I don't really care. My 2 cents.

 

[moyiesledhead]

In the case of Mountain Caribou it's very well documented that it was human influence that caused their decline. We logged too close to their habitat creating a salad bar for the other ungulates, bringing with them preditors that the Caribou were trying to avoid by living there in the first place, and Caribou became secondary prey.

Never did have anything to do with snowmobiles though!

 

[ferniesnow]

Ken, doo you know what elevation the transplanted caribou came from? Like, were they used to a certain elevation and left where they were transplanted to get down "their natural habitat" and not necessarily the natural habitat of the local caribou. Does this make sense?

 

[moyiesledhead]

Ken, doo you know what elevation the transplanted caribou came from? Like, were they used to a certain elevation and left where they were transplanted to get down "their natural habitat" and not necessarily the natural habitat of the local caribou. Does this make sense?

That's exactly what happpened Doug. They were captured around Deese Lake in basically treed/semi open grass land, and that's where they headed for as soon as they kicked them out of the chopper in the Purcells. There's a video of the capture floating around somewhere. I'll see if I can find it.


Edit: Well that was easy! 2012 transplant capture - YouTube

 

[ferniesnow]

The elevation for the town of Dease Lake is around 800m. I'll ask Trollcat what the elevation was where they actually captured them. What is the elevation where they released them in the Purcells?

 

[moyiesledhead]

The elevation for the town of Dease Lake is around 800m. I'll ask Trollcat what the elevation was where they actually captured them. What is the elevation where they released them in the Purcells?

Between 6000 and 7500 feet......whatever that is in meters.



Edit: 1800 to 2300 meters according to the handy online converter I just found.

http://www.onlineconversion.com/length_common.htm

And it's really more about what their used to eating. MoE collected and shipped tree lichen from the Koots up to Deese Lake for them to eat on the truck ride down, but rumour has it they wouldn't eat it. Had to feed them hay.

 

[ferniesnow]

Between 6000 and 7500 feet......whatever that is in meters.



Edit: 1800 to 2300 meters according to the handy online converter I just found.

Online Conversion - Common Length Conversions

And it's really more about what their used to eating. MoE collected and shipped tree lichen from the Koots up to Deese Lake for them to eat on the truck ride down, but rumour has it they wouldn't eat it. Had to feed them hay.

The elevation that they were used to or where they were captured was 4000' or 1600m. That's quite a difference in the elevation (2000-3000' and when my kids come out from Calgary they know how hard it is to breath when we go for a hike). Maybe that's why they went down lower because they were used to that elevation.

 

[kjb]

I heard on the radio 15 of the 19 caribou are dead. I had also heard talk of them building a pen up high to help with next years augmentation. With those results though, I hope they just give up on this whole plan.

 

[Powder Puff]

Transplanted Purcell Mountain caribou fail to survive - British Columbia - CBC News

Here is the story from CBC, the penning project is N of Revy, planned for the spring of 2014.

 

[moyiesledhead]

Thanks Kathy....you beat me to it!

16 Caribou murdered by the Provincial Government and Wildsite. That's 2 animals more than the herd they were trying to save in the first place!

 

[Bogger]

I have an issue with this "mountain" caribou crap.... A mountain caribou is a "ecotype subspecies" which translated to english means there is NO biological or DNA difference between them and "woodland" caribou other than where they choose to live. How can you treat an animal as "endangered" or "extinct" because it leaves an area....

So Mountain Caribou are like Newfies.... most have left Newfoundland to live/work in Alberta, so is a newfie in Fort Mac not a Newfie????

Does that mean that if all the newfies were to leave NFLD then the "ecotype subspecies" of "newfies" would be extinct??????

What about when the economy in NFLD fires back up as it is now and the transplanted newfies return, miraculously newfies are no longer extinct....

Newfies are Newfies no matter where they live, the same could be argued for Caribou.... unfortunately the "Greater Vancouver Caribou" ecotype subspecies has long since been extinct and now the "tree hugger" ecotype subspecies who have taken over thier native habitat are trying to do right at the expense of the "high elevation adrenaline enthusiest" ecotype subspecies.

Seems to me the mountain Caribou are the Quebecois of thier species..... they choose to live in an area non conducive to decent lifestyle, yet in an effort to maintain thier "individuality" as an "ecotype subspecies" rely on support from others to survive when all they have to do is integrate with the successful herds to ensure survival.....

I bet when they see a helecopter comming they think to themselves..... "Oh, merde! C'est des conneries!"

 

[Mike270412]

You should do stand-up Booger

 

[tex78]

I have an issue with this "mountain" caribou crap.... A mountain caribou is a "ecotype subspecies" which translated to english means there is NO biological or DNA difference between them and "woodland" caribou other than where they choose to live. How can you treat an animal as "endangered" or "extinct" because it leaves an area....

So Mountain Caribou are like Newfies.... most have left Newfoundland to live/work in Alberta, so is a newfie in Fort Mac not a Newfie????

Does that mean that if all the newfies were to leave NFLD then the "ecotype subspecies" of "newfies" would be extinct??????

What about when the economy in NFLD fires back up as it is now and the transplanted newfies return, miraculously newfies are no longer extinct....

Newfies are Newfies no matter where they live, the same could be argued for Caribou.... unfortunately the "Greater Vancouver Caribou" ecotype subspecies has long since been extinct and now the "tree hugger" ecotype subspecies who have taken over thier native habitat are trying to do right at the expense of the "high elevation adrenaline enthusiest" ecotype subspecies.

Seems to me the mountain Caribou are the Quebecois of thier species..... they choose to live in an area non conducive to decent lifestyle, yet in an effort to maintain thier "individuality" as an "ecotype subspecies" rely on support from others to survive when all they have to do is integrate with the successful herds to ensure survival.....

I bet when they see a helecopter comming they think to themselves..... "Oh, merde! C'est des conneries!"

Baaaaaaaaaaaa u took the words outa my mouth.

Only thing is Alberta has too many noofies allready so we don't need to transplant any more.



sent from my htc

 

[Mike270412]

Seems to me the mountain Caribou are the Quebecois of thier species..... they choose to live in an area non conducive to decent lifestyle, yet in an effort to maintain thier "individuality" as an "ecotype subspecies" rely on support from others to survive when all they have to do is integrate with the successful herds to ensure survival.....

 

[moyiesledhead]

Baaaaaaaaaaaa u took the words outa my mouth.

Only thing is Alberta has too many noofies allready so we don't need to transplant any more.

They seem to survive being transplanted better than Caribou!

 

[Toyboy]

You should do stand-up Booger

He was standing up! leave the short guy alone.

 

[ferniesnow]

...........too many noofies.............

Tex, there is no such thing as "too many noofies" or newfies, or Newfoundlanders, or how ever one wants to call or say it.

You are in the same boat as Willy with his "too many Albertans" theme............

 

[Bogger]

Tex, there is no such thing as "too many noofies" or newfies, or Newfoundlanders, or how ever one wants to call or say it.

You are in the same boat as Willy with his "too many Albertans" theme............

How many albertans does it take to build a refinery????























We don't know..... the newfies keep beating them to it.....