Southern Mountain Caribou

Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) inhabiting the high-alpine and subalpine regions of the Rocky Mountains; distinct from the migratory barren-ground caribou of the Arctic. Southern Mountain Caribou rely on old-growth forests and alpine lichen; unlike elk or moose, they cannot sustain predation due to low reproductive rates (typically one calf per year).

Population collapse. In the 1960s hundreds of caribou ranged in Jasper National Park; today fewer than 60 remain. The Banff herd was extirpated in 2009 (avalanche); the Maligne herd declared locally extinct in 2020. The Tonquin herd (~45–53 individuals, ≤10 breeding females) and Brazeau herd (<10 individuals) are non-viable without intervention.

Threats. Wolf predation; wolves use packed ski/snowshoe trails to access high-elevation caribou habitat previously protected by deep snow. Early 20th-century predator control led to elk overabundance; wolf recovery reversed the balance.

Conservation. Parks Canada built the Caribou Conservation Breeding Centre (2025) near Athabasca Falls to rebuild herds through captive breeding and release. The centre sits along the Icefields Parkway corridor.