Woodland Caribou
Boreal population

Taxonomy
There is some uncertainty about how different groups of caribou are related to each other. Technological advances in genetic analysis have clarified some issues, but studies are ongoing. In the meantime, caribou are classified by ecotype (where they occur and how they behave) for their management and conservation.

There are three major types of caribou in Canada: Peary, Barren-ground, and Woodland. The Caribou dawsoni subspecies, traditionally grouped with the Woodland Caribou, is extinct. Results of recent research indicate that the caribou in the Dolphin and Union herd are unique. They resemble large Peary Caribou, but appear to be more closely related genetically to Barren-ground Caribou.

Peary Caribou, the smallest, lightest-coloured, and least understood of the three races, are found only on the islands of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. They have access to a vast area of land, but only a limited portion contains suitable habitat.

Barren-ground Caribou, slightly larger and darker, are found for much or all of the year on the tundra from Alaska to Baffin Island. They are by far the most abundant caribou; some herds in northern Canada number in the hundreds of thousands. They migrate seasonally, often along predictable routes, to the sparsely treed northern coniferous forests.

Woodland Caribou, the largest and darkest-coloured, are irregularly distributed throughout our boreal forest and mountains from the island of Newfoundland to British Columbia. They are not migratory, but some herds, especially those in mountainous regions, move to different elevations with the seasons.

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Description
Caribou, ancient members of the deer family (Cervidae), are one of Canada’s most widely distributed large mammals. The name caribou is probably a corruption of the Micmac name “xalibu” — which means “the one who paws.”

Caribou are unique among Cervids in that both sexes have antlers; however, some females have only one antler or lack them altogether. The antlers grow so rapidly that an adult male may show velvety lumps on his head in March and have a rack more than a metre in length by August. By February, all the caribou have lost their antlers.

The Woodland Caribou’s coat is mostly brown in summer (more grey in winter), but the neck, mane, shoulder stripe, underbelly, underside of the tail, and patch just above each hoof are creamy white. The caribou is 1.0 to 1.2 m high at the shoulder, and mature individuals weigh 110 to 210 kg. The average weight for bulls is 180 kg; for cows, it is 135 kg. The antlers of the Woodland Caribou are flattened, complex, and compact relative to those of the Barren-ground Caribou.

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Approximate range - not for legal use

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Distribution and Population
Woodland Caribou occur in five of the eight National Ecological Areas recognized by COSEWIC, and in all jurisdictions in Canada except Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nunavut. The Northern Mountain population is comprised of 36 local populations in Yukon, Northwest Territories, and northwestern British Columbia. The Southern Mountain population is made up of 26 local populations in British Columbia and 4 in Alberta. The Boreal population covers a huge area from the Mackenzie Mountains in the northwest to southern Labrador in the east and as far south as Lake Superior. In Newfoundland, the Woodland Caribou can be found in 15 natural and 22 introduced local populations — both on the main island and on islands offshore. The Atlantic-Gaspésie population in Quebec is the only caribou herd that remains south of the St. Lawrence River. It is largely restricted to the summits of Mont Albert and Mont Jacques-Cartier in Parc de la Gaspésie on the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec.

The Woodland Caribou Boreal population is the widest ranging — they are found in the Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador — and perhaps the least studied of the populations. Recent research efforts have increased the number of known populations to more than 64, and this number is expected to rise further as more individuals are radio-collared and distributions are delineated.

Population surveys prior to 2002 estimate there are 33 000 forest-dwelling caribou in the Boreal population — 18% of the total for Canada. Numbers and trends for most local populations across the Boreal National Ecological Area are poorly known: low densities of caribou, large land area, and multiple jurisdictions make this task difficult. Of 52 described populations, 1 is reported as increasing, 6 as stable, 12 as decreasing, and 33 as unknown.

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Habitat
In winter, Woodland Caribou use mature and old-growth coniferous forests that contain large quantities of terrestrial and arboreal (tree-inhabiting) lichens. These forests are generally associated with marshes, bogs, lakes, and rivers. In summer, the caribou occasionally feed in young stands, after fire or logging. The average interval for habitats to return to their pre-fire state ranges from 40 to 80 years in the southern boreal forest in Alberta and Saskatchewan to 200 to 350 years in British Columbia.

Many subpopulations of the Woodland Caribou Boreal population show a preference for peatlands; they generally avoid clear cuts, shrub-rich habitat, and aspen-poplar dominated sites. The most common tree species in preferred habitats are Black Spruce, White Spruce, and Tamarack.

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Biology
The caribou is well adapted to its environment. It has a compact body, small ears, and a short tail — even the muzzle is covered in short hairs to protect it from the snow and cold air. The caribou‘s coat consists of a fine crimped under-fur with a thick layer of guard hairs on top. The guard hairs are hollow (like straws), and the air trapped inside acts as insulation to keep in the caribou's body heat. Caribou are excellent swimmers, and the hollow hairs help them to be buoyant in the water as well.

Caribou have large feet with four toes. In addition to two small ones, called "dew claws," they have two large, crescent-shaped toes that support most of their weight and serve as shovels when digging for food under snow. These large concave hooves offer stable support on wet, soggy ground and on crusty snow. The pads of the hoof change from a thick, fleshy shape in the summer to become hard and thin in the winter months, reducing the animal’s exposure to the cold ground. Additional winter protection comes from the long hair between the "toes"; it covers the pads so the caribou walks only on the horny rim of the hooves.

The rut, or mating period, for caribou usually occurs in late September and the first half of October. Caribou cows begin breeding as early as 16 months of age; most breed annually by the time they are 28 months old, typically giving birth to a single calf the following spring (mid-May to mid-June). The males may theoretically breed at 18 to 20 months of age, but most probably have no opportunity before their third or fourth year. During the rut, males engage in frequent and furious sparring battles with their antlers. Large males with large antlers do most of the mating. To calve, females travel to isolated, relatively predator-free areas such as islands in lakes, peatlands, lakeshores, or tundra. Group size is lowest during calving and in summer; it increases before the rut and may decline or increase over the winter. Group size at all seasons is larger for forest-tundra caribou than forest-dwelling caribou.

Survival rates for calves average between 30% and 50%, but can vary from almost none to 100%. Many factors interact to determine calf survival, including quality and quantity of forage (for pregnant females and in the first year of life), number of predators, and weather. The potential for very high survival means that it is possible for local populations to increase rapidly when conditions are favourable.

Caribou are grazing animals and feed on whatever plant material is available. Most feeding takes place in the morning and late evening, with periods of rest at midday and midnight. Caribou are the only large mammals that are able to use lichens as a primary source of food. They have specialized bacteria and protozoa in their stomachs that efficiently digest the lichens, allowing them to take advantage of this rich food source that is available during the winter when other foods are scarce. They also have an excellent sense of smell that helps them to locate lichens beneath snow. Caribou are preyed upon by wolves, bears, coyotes, cougar, and lynx, and are hunted by people.

Caribou are constantly on the move. As a result, predators and parasites cannot predict where they will be found, and lichen ranges are not overused or trampled.

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Threats
Habitat destruction, hunting, disturbance by humans (including construction of roads and pipelines), and predation (by wolves, coyotes, and bears) have all contributed to the decline of Woodland Caribou. In many parts of Woodland Caribou range, forestry practices and the spread of agriculture and mining have resulted in the loss, alteration, and fragmentation of important caribou habitat. Factors beyond our control, such as weather and climate change, are also influential. One of the current challenges in caribou management is to learn more about how these factors interact and how to decrease their threat to Woodland Caribou populations.

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Protection
The Woodland Caribou Boreal population is protected under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA). More information about SARA, including how it protects individual species, is available in the Species at Risk Act: A Guide.

Recovery Initiatives
Recovery Plan Status: A National Recovery Strategy will be developed to link regional recovery strategies and action plans, some of which are already in development.

Summary of Research/Monitoring Activities:

- 2001: assessed the habitat and population of boreal caribou in northeastern British Columbia; monitored and inventoried boreal caribou habitat and range distribution in Ontario; initiated a project to inventory critical woodland caribou habitat in Manitoba; continued to monitor range use of three at-risk boreal caribou herds in Manitoba; mapped areas of occupation and occurrence in the Northwest Territories using traditional knowledge and other approaches; assessed the regeneration of vegetation on seismic lines; conducted a landscape-scale study of caribou-vegetation relationships.

Summary of Recovery Activities:

- 2000: Ontario formed a provincial recovery team for the species.
- 2001: initiated the implementation of a new Strategic Plan and Guidelines in Alberta to integrate industrial activity and caribou conservation across boreal caribou ranges; initiated a project to restore caribou habitat in Alberta; initiated the following Habitat Stewardship Program projects: implementing of integrated management action plans for four high-risk caribou ranges in Manitoba; encouraging stewardship actions in Saskatchewan that will improve the management and conservation of woodland caribou populations and habitat, by providing knowledge on caribou behaviour and demonstrating the adverse impacts of human activities on the species; modifying the characteristics of linear disturbances to woodland caribou, such as roads, seismic lines, and pipelines.

Summary of Progress to Date:

Manitoba is gathering biological data on herds which are considered to be most at risk and will be maintaining regional caribou management teams, of which First Nation Communities are an integral component. The results of the monitoring of range use for high risk herds in Manitoba will be used to develop strategies to minimize the impacts of development on the species.

Objectives for 2002 - 2003:

- begin consultations in Ontario for the development of the provincial recovery plan;
- conduct a finer-scale assessment of habitat selection and habitat mapping in the Northwest Territories;
- establish a co-management approach to recovery planning and application of best practices to land use activity through consultation with stakeholders.

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Recovery Team
A list of jurisdictional representatives and contacts for this species is available upon request from Mary Rothfels: Mary.Rothfels@ec.gc.ca

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References
- Gray, D.R. 1999. Updated Status Report on the WOODLAND CARIBOU, (caribou des bois) Rangifer tarandus dawsoni and Rangifer tarandus caribou, in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. 38 pp.
- Kelsall, John P. 1984. Status Report on the WOODLAND CARIBOU, Rangifer tarandus dawsoni, in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. 103 pp.

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