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Staff at the North Slave Regional office of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) are asking for help from Northwest Territories (NWT) hunters through their participation in a monitoring program that samples harvested barren-ground caribou. “Caribou are a way of life in the North, both traditionally and economically and by monitoring the health of animals from the Bathurst herd, we will continue to learn more about the herd and NWT caribou in general,” said ENR Minister, Michael Miltenberger. The North Slave Regional office is providing data collection kits, which include a sample bag, ruler, marker, pencil and a data sheet for the harvesters to fill in. Hunters are asked to collect the kidney and any fat surrounding it, in addition to taking a measurement of the amount of back fat on the caribou. “For example, we’re looking at the amount of fat on the kidney, which, when studied with other indicators, is an excellent barometer of the overall condition of the animal,” said Caribou Monitoring Programs Technician, Dave Abernethy. “We are asking harvesters to record information about the condition of harvested caribou, as well as some general observations of the caribou in the group. This information, combined with field studies, will help us to understand the overall health and condition of the caribou herd.” Community hunts and the outfitting industry are also participating in the monitoring program. Resident hunters interested in participating in this study are asked to drop into or call the North Slave Regional Office at 873-7184. For more information, contact: Kathy Mercure
Communications Planning Specialist
Phone: (867) 920-3310
kathy_mercure@gov.nt.ca
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