Critters of North Idaho: Boreal woodland caribou
Most people imagine caribou (known as reindeer in Europe and Asia) as roaming the frozen, barren wastelands of the Arctic tundra. But did you know these animals also inhabit regions much farther south?
Fossils reveal that Ice Age caribou were quite at home as far south as Tennessee and Nevada, and in more recent times they could be found across Canada and along the northernmost reaches of the United States, from Maine to Washington. This caribou of unusual habitat is classified as belonging to its own subspecies called the boreal woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), and up until recently, all that remained of its once expansive range was a few populations in North Idaho and Washington.
First, let’s get to know this unusual animal. Like all caribou, the woodland caribou is a member of the deer family. Adults stand between 3 and almost 4-feet tall at the shoulder and weigh anywhere from 242 to 462 pounds. Their thick fur is gray-brown in color, with creamy white coloration on their underbellies, shoulders, and the underside of the tail.
The fur comes in two layers: the outer layer consists of longer, semi-hollow guard hairs, while the inner layer is dense and protects the animals’ skin from the cold and even provides them with buoyancy when they need to swim across a river or a lake. The fur takes on a slightly lighter shade of brown in the winter; this is believed to help them blend into the snow. Both male and female caribou have antlers, but females don’t lose theirs come wintertime.
As its name suggests, the boreal woodland caribou has adapted to live in the high-mountain boreal forests of Canada and the northern United States that are largely free from predators. Unfortunately, this specialization may be the downfall of this subspecies.
See, while caribou as a whole are not in danger of extinction, the woodland caribou’s native habitat is at great risk from habitat destruction. Loggers, mining companies and snowmobile and ATV enthusiasts all want a piece of the woodland caribou’s habitat, and (as of the writing of this article) there are currently no laws protecting this species from disturbance in Canada.
As their habitat is cleared, it becomes more suitable for moose and other deer, which are followed by wolves and cougars that the woodland caribou needn’t have feared before. With their numbers as low as they are, every predator attack brings the subspecies closer to extinction.
The woodland caribou’s numbers are so low in the United States that earlier this year (2019) biologists decided to capture the last few individuals and move them to a protected pen in Revelstoke with plans to release them so they will hopefully integrate with a Canadian herd.
Things are not looking good for the woodland caribou, and it may be too late to save them. Nevertheless, the scientists studying these fascinating creatures are not counting them out yet and are doing everything in their power to keep the subspecies alive for as long as possible.
I encourage readers to do their own research on the woodland caribou so they can keep up with the conservation work being done to preserve them. While there isn’t much Idahoans can do to preserve this animal at the current moment in time, we can all help in ensuring they have a habitat to come back to when their population increases. A great way to do that is by ensuring that you buy sustainable wood. This is wood harvested from logging companies that responsibly manage their forests to ensure economic and environmental interests are well-looked after. Taking an active role to help save the amazing woodland caribou’s natural habitat from disappearing is strongly encouraged for Idahoans.
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