CPAWS-Newfoundland welcomes province’s study of Woodland caribou

St. John\'s -- Faced with a rapidly declining Woodland caribou population on the island of Newfoundland, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has launched a five-year strategy to study the reasons behind the troubling loss of caribou.

Since the 1990s, the province’s woodland caribou numbers have declined by 60%. 

The provincial government places the blame for the decline on the caribou\'s predators: black bear, lynx and coyote.  The new strategy will focus on the role of predators on Woodland caribou mortality, and the effect of increased predator hunting on caribou populations.   CPAWS- Nfld’s Julie Huntington praised the government\'s plan, but cautions against focusing on predators without considering the role of habitat loss:

"It is great to see the province put caribou protection high on the list of Newfoundland’s wildlife protection priorities. We believe action should be swift to support a diminishing caribou population by all means possible. While some people believe black bear predation is one of the main reasons for the loss of woodland caribou, we should always remember that the primary cause of species decline is fragmentation and destruction of habitat."