Find more information here about Central Selkirk caribou recovery.
The caribou maternity pen is a recovery action aimed at increasing the Central Selkirk herd’s population. The objectives of the pen are to improve female and calf health, improve calf survival rate, and protect caribou from predators.
Learn more about the maternity pen here: https://arrowlakescaribousociety.com/maternity-pen-project/
The Central Selkirk herd of caribou has been declining for decades. The maternity pen is a recovery action aimed at increasing the herd population to prevent extirpation of the Central Selkirk caribou. Without maternity penning, the Central Selkirk herd would not be able to recover. There are also other recovery actions that are being done along with maternity penning. They include recreation management, habitat protection, predator reduction, and habitat restoration.
The Central Selkirk herd population has not increased since maternity penning started in 2022. In 2023, there were 25 animals, and now in 2025 there are 19 animals in the Central Selkirk herd.
These caribou in the maternity pen are from the mountain ranges north east of Nakusp. Caribou have been observed in ranges and valleys such as St. Leons, Lew Creek, Halfway, Mt. Jordan and Cape Horn.
Yes, caribou are a native species to many areas in BC. The caribou in the Central Selkirk herd are southern mountain caribou, which is an ecotype of caribou in general. They differ in their behaviour and diet from the other ecotypes of caribou (boreal, barren-ground, peary) in Canada. Learn more about caribou in Canada here: https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-education-centre/caribou.html
The collars you see are only on the female animals in the Central Selkirk herd. The collaring program is facilitated by the BC provincial government. The collars have a VHF radio frequency and GPS point which populates on an online map every 12 hours. This data tells the government and our working group where the caribou are in the wild, for census flights, capture for maternity penning, and monitoring outside of the maternity pen.
The BC provincial government has a predator reduction program for the Central Selkirk herd as a recovery action aimed at increasing the herd population. Learn more about the predator reduction program here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/plants-animals-ecosystems/wildlife/wildlife-conservation/caribou/management-activities