species at risk

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

SAINTE-ANNE-DES-MONTS – The ten female and three male caribou captured this winter, along with the six surviving calves, might remain in captivity at the Mount McGerrigle enclosure, in the Parc de la Gaspésie, longer than initially planned.

The Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks indicates that “recent observations regarding the low productivity and recruitment rates observed in recent years have led the ministry to consider temporarily keeping a portion of the Gaspésie caribou population in captivity in 2024, rather than using maternity pens involving the annual capture of pregnant females and their release with their calves at the end of the summer, as deployed in 2023,” states the response to an inquiry made by SPEC regarding the 19 caribous being held in captivity.”

Captivity is a final and temporary measure to protect isolated caribou populations in a very precarious situation,” mentions the ministry. The Minister responsible for Wildlife, Benoit Charette, indicated this spring in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts that there were only 24 caribou left in the Gaspésie.

“The presence of three males in the enclosure will allow one or more reproductive cycles to be carried out in captivity and provide the information needed to optimize recruitment while documenting the low pregnancy rates observed in the wild,” the ministry explains in its letter.
Various factors such as survival rates, physical condition, sex ratio or productivity could lead to occasional releases of caribou, as a proportion of nine caribou remain in the wild, assuming those not captured last spring survived predation and the winter.

“The duration of the use of this management measure will be assessed through a multi-criteria analysis taking into consideration, among other things, the parameters mentioned and the deployment of other complementary management measures, such as predator control and habitat restoration,” the ministry explains.

Temporary captivity aims to protect caribou from predators and increase their survival rates. “This reflection demonstrates the ministry’s attention to deploying a dynamic and adaptive management approach that relies on monitoring the biological indicators of the Gaspésie caribou population,” the ministry states in response to our inquiries.

The Haute-Gaspésie receives support

The Côte-de-Gaspé MRC is supporting the Haute-Gaspésie by asking the Quebec government to hold information sessions and public consultations in Haute-Gaspésie due to the impact of the proposed caribou protection measures. The Quebec government announced a pilot project for the caribou population in April and the Haute-Gaspésie is concerned that recreational tourism development could be significantly restricted due to the proposed measures.

Côte-de-Gaspé is also calling for interim measures to be lifted and for the public service to be given clear directives so that sustainable development can continue. The MRC is asking that the wind energy sector and access to territories be taken into account.