For World Wildlife Day, here’s a new video showcasing our work for caribou.
Nine years ago, in partnership with the Tahltan Guide Outfitters Association, we launched our first caribou study, led by Jarett Quock, our first Guardian. The last study of caribou in Tahltan Territory was done in the 1980s. TCG’s research arose in response to community concerns over wildlife health. The study, conducted by Jarett and Dr. Naima Jutha, linked health sampling with local knowledge, drawing from harvest sample kits and interviews with Tahltan elders and hunters, guides and outfitters. In 2018, we won funding to expand our research. We began collaring caribou to track their movements, learn their range, and better understand our herds. The Guardians learned to wrestle and wrangle caribou, take biological samples, and keep the caribou calm while doing so. They also learned to net gun, leaning out of an open helicopter in bitter cold. (To keep the caribou from overheating, we only conduct captures in winter.)
We’ve continued this work for six years now, building an unprecedented data set for understanding our hodzih (caribou). Our work’s drawn attention—appearing in the media and Wədzih Nəne, an upcoming feature documentary—and increasing requests for collaboration. Last year, we brought together representatives from seven First Nations, experts from the Wildlife Science Centre, and thirteen guide outfitters from BC, Yukon, and NWT to join forces for Northern Mountain caribou.
Across Canada, caribou are struggling. No one knows exactly what’s wrong. The Southern Mountain herds are almost gone. Our Edziza herd is in crisis, but others—Level, Spatsizi, Tseneglode—still seem relatively healthy. To ensure Northern Mountain Caribou remain strong, in Tahltan Territory and across their range, we are working together, sharing knowledge, efforts, and a commitment to conservation.
