The South Selkirk Caribou herd has dropped in numbers from eleven to three.
Wildsight BC is calling on the provincial and federal governments to take action. John Bergenske with Wildsight says the federal government is recognizing their responsibility under the Species at Risk Act.
He adds both federal and provincial governments need to take a bigger role in the issue than they have to date. South Selkirk Caribou numbers have been declining for the past several years.
Trish Drinkle, media relations with the BC Snowmobile Federation is also concerned with the low numbers of caribou. She says science based conservation is necessary and sometimes that means making difficult decisions.
Both Bergenske and Drinkle say the caribou have been vulnerable to predation and habitat loss for years. Bergenske says it’s unfortunate they have to consider captive breeding.
He says there has been a lot of discussion around the issue but no definite plans have been made yet. Wildsight BC has worked with the province for many years to protect the mountain caribou.
