Eastern Migratory
- Ontario status: Special Concern Ontario Endangered Species Act (2018)
- Canadian status: Endangered Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) (2017)
The 2017 report of the Committee on the Status of Wildlife in Canada estimated the total population of eastern migratory caribou 170,636 mature animals (not the total population) and says there has been an 80% overall decline in number over three generations (18-21 years). Most of the remaining Eastern Migratory caribou are in the Leaf River herd.
Eastern migratory caribou range from around Hudson bay, across the Ungava peninsula in Nunavik (northern Quebec) and into Nunatsiavut (northern Labrador). They move from wintering grounds in the spring to calve, generally closer to the coast, then move back again in the fall. Although they migrate, they are not barren-ground caribou, but woodland caribou.
The eastern migratory caribou designation covers four subpopulations (or herds).
- The Cape Churchill herd occupies part of the Manitoba coastline on Hudson Bay.
- The Southern Hudson Bay herd overlaps slightly with the Cape Churchill herd, but is mostly found further south along the coastal Manitoba - Ontario border.
- The Leaf River herd is on the Ungava Peninsula of northern Quebec, and sometimes overlaps with the range of the George River herd that occupies parts of Quebec and Labrador.
- The George River herd occupies parts of Quebec and Labrador.
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Related resources
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT-LED MONITORING OF SUMMER RANGE USE BY THE EASTERN MIGRATORY CAPE CHURCHILL CARIBOU POPULATION USING MINIMALLY INVASIVE TRAIL CAMERAS AND STANDARDIZED CRITERIA
Usage: Non-commercial with attribution Format: pdf
Eastern MigratoryCape ChurchillRange managementClimate changeMapping and Modelling Summer and Winter Range use of the Eastern Migratory Cape Churchill Caribou: Bridging Trail Cameras and Community-Based Approaches
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Caribou (Eastern Migratory population)
Usage: Non-commercial with attribution Format: web
Eastern MigratoryNorth America's Largest Herd of Caribou on the Move (360 Video)
Format: video
Eastern Migratory