The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is planning to take action to protect the Columbia North caribou herd from wolf predation.
According to a news release from the B.C. Government, aerial wolf removal of individuals is required to enhance the population of the Caribou North heard and to increase calf survival from the maternity pen project.
The endangered Columbia North caribou herd is estimated to have between 125 to 145 animals.
Around 180,000 hectares of mountain caribou habitat in the area have been protected and cows from this herd have been part of a maternity pen project that began in 2014.
In contrast to the Columbia North caribou herd, the wolf population in B.C. is stable to increasing, with the median population of wolves estimated to be around 8,500.
Results of wolf removal near the Klinse-Za maternity pen in the South Peace suggest that wolf removal is an effective policy that increases the likelihood of calf survival.
Additional action, such as predator management, habitat protection and restoration may also be required to recover endangered caribou populations.
Currently, 2.2 million hectares of habitat are protected around the province.
