Threat of Extinction Is Easing for Caribou
A scientific count shows that Washington state’s reindeer herd is starting to pull away from the edge of extinction.
In recent weeks, a count has shown that nearly 80 reindeer, known in North America as caribou, are inhabiting the Selkirk Mountains of northeastern Washington and the Idaho panhandle.
Three years ago, the population had dwindled to about 25. The herd still has a long way to go before it reaches a stable level, but the news is encouraging, said Washington Department of Wildlife biologist Jerry Hickman.
In the 1700s, up to 400 of the animals ranged the Selkirk Mountains. But a highway built in the 1960s and increased development took a toll and the population plummeted.
In the early 1970s, the herd was declared a federal endangered species, and state, federal and Canadian wildlife agencies banded together to try to save the animals.
Officials said the turning point came in 1987, when animals were trapped from some of Canada’s flourishing herds and transplanted into the Selkirks.
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