Selkirk Caribou Herd officially declared extinct

[CementFinisher]

https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01852/wdfw01852.pdf

[dscubame]

This herd has been struggling for quite awhile. They just weren’t long for the world. I don’t see how you could pit this as wolves vs caribou. Predation was the final straw but with consitantly low numbers in the herd it was just a matter of time before something got them. I don’t think that they have numbered over 50 in this century.

Agree.  My take on it as well.  Wolves or not this was going to be the outcome.

[KFhunter]

Hopefully Idaho opens back up the snowmobiling in that area, used to be a lot of nice trails out of Priest Lake.

might as well, nothing much left to protect up there.

[Bob33]

This herd has been struggling for quite awhile. They just weren’t long for the world. I don’t see how you could pit this as wolves vs caribou. Predation was the final straw but with consitantly low numbers in the herd it was just a matter of time before something got them. I don’t think that they have numbered over 50 in this century.

Historically, within the lower 48 states, woodland caribou were once distributed from central Washington State to Glacier National Park in Montana and south to Salmon River. Additionally caribou were found within the Great Lake States and New England States such as Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. It is not know how many caribou were found within what are now the lower 48 states, but it is likely the numbers were in the thousands.

Today, woodland caribou are found in only one location south of Canada, which are the Selkirk Mountains of northern Idaho and northeastern Washington. This small population, which historically numbered in the hundreds of caribou, has been reduced to less than 15 animals. The habitat for this small population is contiguous with adjacent British Columbia and the animals move freely across the international border.

http://scawild.org/south-selkirk-mountain-caribou/

[JimmyHoffa]

Hopefully Idaho opens back up the snowmobiling in that area, used to be a lot of nice trails out of Priest Lake.

might as well, nothing much left to protect up there.

They'll find something...wolverine, selkirk beaver, triple striped earthworm, grizzlies, etc.

[CAMPMEAT]

I've known about those little Caribou for years and never once was there any concern about them. CNW couldn't figure out away to make money off the state because they were out of sight, out of mind. Harmless animals eaten by wolves.......

[Dan-o]

Canada has wolfs and lions and the caribou seem to do alright. I think this has more to do with habitat and that area being on the extreme southern fringe of where they’d normally be. Just my opinion.

So you seem to know more about this than the biologists who were working with the caribou who said that predation by wolves and cougars is the primary reason. Where do you get your information?

Canada thinned wolves specifically to help their Mountain Caribou herd.
We protect our wolves almost without exception.
We certainly havent ever thinned wolves to help wild game herds.

[LDennis24]

Idaho just thinned out the wolves in the Lolo to protect the elk herd there also. The article says the area had a herd of 10000 several years ago and now it's down to 1900 so they shot some wolves to help them out. In Washington we do the opposite...

https://www.gohunt.com/read/news/idaho-wolves-killed-to-help-struggling-elk-herd#gs.2rttut

[Skyvalhunter]

WDFW would rather let the wolves wipe out an endangered species than try to save them. That is just pathitic. This state will bow down and placate to the Seattle tree huggers and leaf lickers.

[meatwhack]

Canada has wolfs and lions and the caribou seem to do alright. I think this has more to do with habitat and that area being on the extreme southern fringe of where they’d normally be. Just my opinion.

So you seem to know more about this than the biologists who were working with the caribou who said that predation by wolves and cougars is the primary reason. Where do you get your information?

At the end of my statement I said “just my opinion” like what most of what’s posted on here are is people’s opinions. I never said anything about thinking I knew more than biologists but I also don’t always agree with what biologists say or do again my opinion.

[snake]

Hopefully Idaho opens back up the snowmobiling in that area, used to be a lot of nice trails out of Priest Lake.

might as well, nothing much left to protect up there.

They'll find something...wolverine, selkirk beaver, triple striped earthworm, grizzlies, etc.

They're already doing it, Grizzly Bears.

[Romulus1297]

Sounds like the Caribou Trail League needs a new name.

[Sitka_Blacktail]

This herd has been struggling for quite awhile. They just weren’t long for the world. I don’t see how you could pit this as wolves vs caribou. Predation was the final straw but with consitantly low numbers in the herd it was just a matter of time before something got them. I don’t think that they have numbered over 50 in this century.

Historically, within the lower 48 states, woodland caribou were once distributed from central Washington State to Glacier National Park in Montana and south to Salmon River. Additionally caribou were found within the Great Lake States and New England States such as Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. It is not know how many caribou were found within what are now the lower 48 states, but it is likely the numbers were in the thousands.

Today, woodland caribou are found in only one location south of Canada, which are the Selkirk Mountains of northern Idaho and northeastern Washington. This small population, which historically numbered in the hundreds of caribou, has been reduced to less than 15 animals. The habitat for this small population is contiguous with adjacent British Columbia and the animals move freely across the international border.

http://scawild.org/south-selkirk-mountain-caribou/

Don't forget the rest of the article.

"The main threats to mountain caribou are habitat loss, predation, habitat fragmentation and degradation. Logging has removed many critical old growth and mature forests that caribou depend on and replaced them with younger early successional forests. These early successional forests attract moose, deer and elk, as well as their predators such as mountain lions, which may incidentally prey on the caribou. Before their habitat was fragmented, caribou largely avoided predation through their unique seasonal movements and by distributing themselves throughout extensive old-growth forests."

And "Within the United States, woodland caribou were listed as an endangered species in 1984,"  Well before wolf recovery or re-introduction. Whatever you want to call it.

[Taco280AI]

I see a lot of complaining, but does anyone do anything about it???

[wheels]

should have dpone little more before the wolves moved in