Wildlife officials from the Department of Environment and Conservation will be involved in an effort to capture caribou in the Cape Shore area over the next several weeks. These animals will then be transported to the Salmonier Nature Park for both educational display and research purposes.

"Scientific research is an important element in understanding any wildlife population, and having these animals at the nature park will assist our efforts," said the Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister of Environment and Conservation. "There have been no caribou on display at the park since 2007, and the animals we secure will form the nucleus of a small self-sustaining caribou herd that will help us in our work regarding the maintenance of these populations. We are also delighted to add these animals to our public displays at the park so they can be viewed first-hand by visitors."

In February of this year, a five-year, $15.3 million caribou strategy was announced to address the current decline in the island�s woodland caribou population. While the decline coincided with the dispersal of the eastern coyote and increased predation by other animals such as black bear and lynx, the caribou brainworm was implicated as the main cause of the decline of the Avalon Peninsula herd in the late 1990s. Therefore, in addition to being part of the Salmonier Nature Park�s display of Newfoundland and Labrador wildlife, these caribou will also play an integral role in research associated with brainworm disease.

"The scheduling and location for this wildlife exercise cannot be specified at this time, as it is dependent on weather conditions and the whereabouts of animals of the Cape Shore herd," said Minister Johnson. "However, we want to ensure that the public are aware of this important activity, given hunters or other individuals in the area may encounter low-flying helicopters during the capture."

While census results for individual caribou populations indicate declines have been in the range of 40 to 60 per cent for most herds, the island of Newfoundland remains the only boreal woodland caribou population in North America that is not listed as endangered or threatened. The current island caribou population stands at just under 40,000 animals.

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Media contact:

Melony O�Neill
Director of Communications
Department of Environment and Conservation
709-729-2575, 689-0928
moneill@gov.nl.ca