.
Search
 Email this articleE-mail this story  Discuss this articleWrite letter to editor  Discuss this articleOrder a classified ad  Print this page

NNSL photo

Peary caribou researcher Michael Ferguson removes a net from a collared animal captured in 1997. The federal government wants the herd protected under the Species at Risk Act. There are about 8,000 of the animals left. Warm weather has been blamed for the drop in numbers of caribou, which numbered about 50,000 in the 1970s.

Peary caribou endangered

John Thompson
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (May 23/05) - The Peary caribou in the High Arctic is endangered.

The federal government announced last week that it wants the animal protected by the Species at Risk Act, but some people in Nunavut are saying the move was done without enough consultation with Inuit.

"We're concerned," said Jimmy Noble, CEO of the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board. "Everyone's a little discouraged."

The Nunavut land claims agreement requires the federal government to consult with them more than they have, said Noble.

"It seems like we're being pushed by southern concerns."

Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. called on the Environment minister to reverse the decision.

NTI said in a news release issued Friday that the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada is "too far removed from Nunavut to be able to accurately assess the herd and advise the minister."

Federal representatives say the accusations of not consulting Inuit are unfounded.

"They had all sorts of opportunities to consult," said

Dr. Marco Festa-Bianchet from the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife. "It's just false."

It's believed about 8,000 Peary caribou inhabit the High Arctic islands, compared to population estimates of 50,000 during the 1970s. Unlike most concerns with animal population declines, plight of the Peary caribou isn't being blamed on hunting.

Warm weather to blame

Instead, warm weather has been identified as the culprit. Thaws followed by freeze-ups have covered the tundra with a blanket of ice, preventing caribou from eating the vegetation beneath.

"The caribou are starving because they can't get food," said Festa-Bianchet.

Most population data was collected during counts by helicopter and fixed-wing plane several years ago. The surveys show serious declines in areas like Victoria, Prince of Whales and Somerset Islands.

"They've almost disappeared," he said. "That's how you get extinction. You have one population wiped out, then another one."

Other areas, like Banks and Boothia Islands, have seen their population rise.

Some Inuit hunters have countered that population booms and busts are regular cycles in the Arctic.

It's not yet clear how the announcement will affect hunting. A series of consultations will be held with stakeholders and a recovery plan will be drafted.

Representatives from the Hunter and Trapper Associations of Grise Fiord and Resolute couldn't be reached before press time.