Banks-Victoria

At one time, Peary caribou moved between Banks Island and Victoria Island, but there is no evidence of that happening recently. The caribou on Victoria Island share it with migratory Dolphin and Union caribou, but do not generally use the same areas of the island. The most recent (2015) population estimate for this area is 2,252, almost all of which were on Banks Island. The caribou on northwest Victoria Island seem to have undergone a massive decline from an estimated high of more than 4,500 in 1980, to almost none today. According to the COSEWIC assessment in 2015, (reference below) the reasons for this decline “...are unknown, but are not thought to be related to disease and/or hunting.”