Caribou collaring now back on track May 5th 10:04 pm |
Brittany Sweeney
Satellite collars on caribou are one of the most important tools biologists, who study the Western Arctic Caribou Herd, have. Collar information is essential to understanding movements, survival rates, and in knowing the right time to take aerial photos for a herd count.
However, in recent years, the number of active collars among our region s herd had fallen - until last month, when a team were able to put out 54 new collars.
With a large herd like our region s Western Arctic Caribou Herd, biologists ideally like to have about 100 active collars going into the fall. This target had become harder and harder to meet over the past couple of years. Typically, collars were put on caribou at Onion Portage on the Kobuk River in the fall, but this became less reliable as caribou migrations have been later.