Yellowknife (May 19/06) - A Yellowknife hunting guide who says he has lost thousands of dollars because of shrinking caribou herds has taken to killing wolves in an attempt to shore up the population of roaming grass eaters.

Longtime outfitter Boyd Warner said hunts through his Adventure Northwest company have claimed 22 wolves this year.

With each carnivore eating between 30 and 50 caribou annually, Warner said he has saved at least 600 caribou.

"Controlling their population should be a vital part of any (caribou) management plan."

Counts by the territorial government suggest five barrenland herds, between Inuvik and Lutsel K'e, have lost between 40 and 86 per cent of their population. Legislators reduced hunting quotas for non-aboriginal residents and outfitters last year in an attempt to halt the decline.

Warner said that move cost seven NWT companies a total of $160,000 in lost revenue. He was critical of the herd counts and said non-resident hunters - many of whom pay thousands of dollars to hunt in the territories - were being unfairly targeted.

Aboriginal hunters - who are not subject to quotas - and predators like wolves are having a greater impact on caribou populations, he said.

"(Southern hunters) contribute to the economy of the Northwest Territories. Hunters are often (painted) in a bad light, but they're helping."

Ray Case, director of wildlife with the Department of Environment of Natural Resources, said predation does have a major impact on the caribou population. But he disagreed with Warner's claim that each canine eats 30 to 50 animals annually.

Warner estimated there were about 11,000 wolves in the NWT and Nunavut, though the government does not compile precise numbers.

Case called the population "healthy," saying: "There does not appear to be an overabundance of wolves.

Hunters are allowed to kill two of the carnivores each year. Because the animals are classified as fur bearers, they are allowed to leave the meat behind.