Leaf River
- Range: 663,810 km2
- Herd size (2018): 187,000, a drop from over 600,000 in the early 2000s.
The migration of the Leaf River subpopulation is approximately 1000 km, one of the longest known for caribou. The herd moves between the southwest and northeast of the Ungava Peninsula in Nunavik (northern Quebec) in the spring and fall.
A thriving sport-hunting business was once attached to this herd, but the sport hunt ended in 2018. The herd was also hunted commercially between 1994 and 2002.
Inuit communities have suggested that muskoxen displace the caribou from some sectors.
The Quebec government has attempted to protect the calving area of the herd with a legal designation that prohibits any human activity that may negatively affect caribou habitat between May 15th and July 15th. However, the area protected does not always coincide with the area being used for calving.
Related news
Sharing the Bounty
Cree and Innu sign agreement over caribou harvest in Cree territory
Wild Cam: Camera collars reveal caribou survival rates in Quebec
Innu caribou hunt sparks debate over territorial and hunting rights in Quebec
Nunavik pushes for its right to manage and harvest region’s caribou
Researchers watching the balance between Nunavik’s wolves and caribou
Population monitoring: Leaf River migratory caribou herd
Related resources
Honouring the ways of our ancestors, the Cree and Innu Nations sign a traditional understanding built from the customary values of sharing, sustainable harvest and respect for the caribou
"You can never replace the caribou": Inuit Experiences of Ecological Grief from Caribou Declines
Where to spend the winter? The role of intraspecific competition and climate in determining the selection of wintering areas by migratory caribou
Maps of the Leaf River Herd Migration
Usage: Non-commercial with attribution Format: web
Leaf RiverHuman disturbance effects and cumulative habitat loss in endangered migratory caribou
Biological status report of migratory caribou, Leaf River herd
Usage: Non-commercial with attribution Format: pdf
Leaf River