The government says it is moving forward with its plan to capture and fence off animals from two isolated caribou herds in an effort to save them from extinction.
Representatives of the Department of Wildlife told reporters today that members of the herds in Gas Species, Que., And Charlevoix, Que., Will be captured in the coming months and relocated to newly built camps.
The entire Charlevoix herd, estimated at less than 20 animals, will remain in the camps indefinitely, while the plan in Gaspesie is to catch only the pregnant females and release them once their livestock is a few months old.
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The province is also building a larger kraal for the herd in Val d’Or, Que., Which will be fenced in 2020 and has only seven animals.
Environmentalists have criticized the Quebec government for its failure to protect the caribou’s old-growth forest habitat and for postponing the release of its long-awaited action plan to rebuild the species.
Carl Patenaude-Levasseur, a manager of the Wildlife Department, told reporters that fencing the animals was considered a temporary measure to help them survive, but he could not say when they could be released.
© 2022 The Canadian Press
Reference-globalnews.ca