The Department of Wildlife reports the death of a mountain caribou from Gaspésie in its report on Operation Panache, carried out this autumn against poaching in Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie.
This is a female caribou that was wearing a telemetry collar. The animal is one of the females that were captured and placed in an enclosure in the winter of 2023 and then released in August.
According to reports, wildlife officials went to the scene of the animal’s killing on October 15, accompanied by a dog handler and a drone pilot. The investigation and evaluation of the evidence has not yet been completed.
The ministry says suspects were questioned on October 18. The meat was seized as part of the investigation and stored for forensic purposes.
The species has been considered threatened in Quebec since 2009 and endangered in Canada since 2003.
When the loss of one animal threatens an entire herd
When asked, Nature Québec regrets that the slaughtered animal was a female, which, according to the organization, further weakens a population at risk of extinction. There are perhaps only about thirty individuals left, which is truly catastrophic, comments the head of the organization and biologist Alice-Anne Simard.
People who kill a mountain caribou, an endangered species, face a fine of $20,000, twice as much if it is a repeat offense.
Alain Branchaud from the Society for Nature and Parks says that’s not much. He compares these fines to those under the Species at Risk Act, which can be up to $250,000 for a single offense, while all 240 Operation Panache cases could result in fines of $275,000. This is not a deterrent, notes Mr. Branchaud.
Even if we had stricter sanctions, Alice-Anne Simard believes that would not necessarily solve the problem. The problem is that we have really pushed a caribou population to the brink of extinction.
This is not some kind of act of poaching.
The organization reiterates its calls on the government to take more vigorous and structured protection measures. So that in the future we can ensure that if such an animal ever falls victim to poaching again, as can happen, it does not completely endanger the entire population. .
Without delving into the motives behind the poaching, Ms Simard recalled that the government’s slowness in presenting its conservation plan is fueling insecurity among forest communities. What we are saying is that if we have a clear strategy with compensation measures for the forestry industry, so that we know where we are going, then perhaps everyone will prosper a little. We can reduce social tensions.
The Gaspésie Mountain Caribou Conservation Plan is expected since 2021. The Gaspésie caribou population, estimated at 38 individuals in fall 2020, would only contain about thirty animals.
A rare event
The death of a caribou due to poaching remains an extremely rare event. A carcass was found in the La Cache sector, near kilometer 101, on Chemin Lacroix in 2018.
According to the ministry, around a hundred wildlife agents and police officers from the Sûreté du Québec were mobilized as part of Operation Panache.
According to wildlife officials, the animals killed included 43 moose, a lynx and several partridges. The department plans to file more than 500 charges and impose $275,000 in fines.
The ministry had not yet responded to our interview request at the time of publishing this message.