When caribou fly: The pivotal move to the Caribou Conservation Breeding Centre

Inside the bold relocation needed to save a species on the brink

Kitakotan Maskekwatihk | ᑭᑕᑯᑕᐣ ᒪᐢᑫᑿᑎᐦᐠ | Caribou, you have arrived.
(Asiniwachiw Nehiyow ᐊᓯᓃᐘᒋᐤ ᓀᐃᔭᐤ Mountain Cree Camp, Y-Dialect Plains Cree)

After many years of dedicated planning and preparation, Parks Canada’s Caribou Conservation Breeding Centre is home to caribou.

Parks Canada relocated 10 caribou from within Jasper National Park to its Caribou Conservation Breeding Centre at the end of March 2025. These caribou are the founding members of a new breeding herd that will help to rebuild caribou populations in Jasper over the next several decades.

Preparation

To ensure the highest standards of care, Parks Canada worked closely with veterinarians and animal care experts from Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec. Parks Canada’s Animal Care Committee reviewed protocols, assessments of the Conservation Breeding Centre’s habitat post-wildfire, and capture plans to ensure they aligned with the Canadian Council on Animal Care guidelines.

When bringing caribou into the breeding program, Parks Canada prioritizes the health and well-being of the animal, minimizing stress as much as possible by capturing under optimal conditions and completing the process quickly within set timelines.

Capture and relocation

Kariboo pêkîwêwak | They come home. (Lac Ste. Anne Métis Cree)

The safest time to capture caribou in Jasper is typically March. Cool temperatures and snow help reduce stress and body temperature for the caribou. It is also the stage in a caribou’s pregnancy when impacts to the cow or her developing calf are less likely.

After confirming a caribou was in a safe location for capture, the team shot a weighted net from a helicopter, covering the caribou and restricting its movement. The aircraft quickly landed for the team to assess and secure the caribou. A veterinarian then administered an immobilizing drug.

Once sedated, the animals were secured in bags (designed specifically for transporting caribou) packed with snow to keep the caribou cool. Wildlife specialists lifted the caribou using handles on the capture bags and loaded them into another, larger helicopter. A veterinarian and biologist administered oxygen and monitored the caribou inside the aircraft during the short flight to the Conservation Breeding Centre.

Arrival and recovery

Ota-ka-miyo-nitawkisonawaw | ᐅᑕ ᑲ ᒥᔪ ᓂᑕᐤᑭᓯᓇᐘᐤ | Here, you will have a good area to give birth and raise your young. (Aseniwuche Winewak Nation)

A team of Parks Canada staff, wildlife biologists, veterinarians and Indigenous partners were ready and waiting for the arrival of the first caribou.

Each caribou was unloaded from the helicopter in their transport bag and placed into a sled to be transported inside the Conservation Breeding Centre. Indigenous partners supported the caribou’s head and neck during transport, ensuring their airway remained open. Voices were kept at a whisper to keep a quiet environment for the dozing caribou.

Once inside the pens, caribou were lifted onto a platform to be assessed by a veterinarian. Each caribou was weighed, given a numbered identification tag and checked for overall health.

An ultrasound was used to assess the body condition and body fat of each caribou. Veterinarians took blood samples to test for disease, to provide DNA for genetics research and to confirm pregnancy in females.

Tatohga ochibos hnibi | Caribou are back to stay. (Bighorn Stoney Nation)

When ready, the caribou were lifted off the platforms and gently prepared for waking up. The caribou were given a drug to reverse all the effects of the immobilizing drug. Within minutes, the caribou stood and began walking around the pen.

Holding their head as they woke up… you feel their breathing change, they blink, the ears twitch. They’re coming back to the world. And when you think about how few of these animals are actually left… This is such a positive, good-news story for all these people involved, for these animals, and for Jasper.