Help needed for caribou

They may not be as popular as the moose, who have a beloved cartoon representative in Bullwinkle, or the reindeer, who are forever immortalized as Santa Claus' steeds of choice, but caribou in Quebec are in dire need of assistance, which is what the Ecomuseum and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) tried to get across at an event for children on Sunday.

"Human activity is destroying the habitats of these animals," Patrick Nadeau of CPAWS explained to The Chronicle.

This province is home to three types of caribou. The tundra-dwelling caribou, who occupy the north of the province, are not in danger of extinction. However, the woodland and Gaspésie caribous, the two other kinds, are in grave danger of extinction.

According to Nadeau, it is their dependency on forest-like habitats, and the disappearance of the latter, that has placed these two types of caribou in such danger. "There are only about 100 Gaspésie caribou left," Nadeau, a forestry and conservation manager with CPAWS, said.

Woodland caribou fare a little better at the moment, their numbers ranging from 3,000 to 12,000, according to different estimates.

"To protect these animals, you need large protected areas," Nadeau said, where forestry or mining activities are forbidden. This is the type of work CPAWS is currently trying to advocate with the provincial government.

He lauded the government for moving toward such initiatives last year but said it is not enough. "You need large protected areas," he explained, "of at least 5,000 square metres."

Meanwhile, he said, individuals need to educate themselves, keep careful watch over consumption habits, and support the work of organizations like CPAWS and the Eco-Museum to help out.

According to Victoria de Martigny at the Ecomuseum, that was at least accomplished for the 300-400 children who participated in the caribou day organized jointly by the zoo and CPAWS on Sunday. "We did some caribou feedings (in front of the kids)," de Martigny said. Children also played games with a caribou mascot and answered questions based on speeches they heard about the animals.

Nadeau was on hand to deliver those speeches about the plight of the caribou in Quebec, as well as explain some of the differences between caribou, moose and deer. For example, if you see an antlered animal on a road or highway, the odds are you have not spotted a caribou, but one of its two cousins. "They remain far from human installations," Nadeau said, whereas the other two animals are not so shy.

In fact, there are not many places left in Quebec where one can see caribou. De Martigny said one of the few places left is the Ecomuseum, which has two males and a female.

"If you actually look in your pocket and have a quarter, you can see one on the quarter," she said with a laugh, pointing out a lot of people mistakenly believe the animal on the silver coin to be a moose.

CPAWS and the Eco-Museum will likely partner up again near the end of December for another educational activity about caribou, de Martigny added.