Quebec announces the birth of 15 caribou fawns in captive facilities

One of the caribou calves born in a facility in Quebec. (Environment Ministry)

At a time when caribou populations are in trouble in Quebec, the government has announced the arrival of 15 new calves at its captive facilities in Charlevoix and Gaspésie during the final birthing season of 2024.

Both the fawns and the females that gave birth are doing well, according to a press release from the Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs.

In the spring, 18 female caribou were pregnant, including 11 in Charlevoix and seven in Gaspésie.

All the females gave birth, but three fawns died.

Quebec also has facilities in Val-d'Or, but no females were pregnant there.

The new births bring the total number of caribou in Charlevoix to 39, including 20 adults, 10 juveniles and nine calves. In Gaspésie, there are now 19 animals, including the six calves. In Val-d'Or, there are no newborn calves, but there are five adult males and four adult females.

The caribou population has been declining in Quebec for several years, and logging is the main cause of this precarious situation, particularly due to logging roads that destroy the habitat and encourage the movement of the caribou's natural predators, such as bears and wolves.

Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault announced his intention to impose an emergency decree to protect the species, although he has expressed dissatisfaction with Quebec's current strategy.

However, the Legault government in Quebec City believes that such a decree encroaches on its jurisdiction and will lead to numerous job losses.

These job losses would result from the projected drop in allowable cut.

For Quebec as a whole, the federal decree on caribou would lead to a 4.1 per cent drop in allowable cut, equivalent to 1.4 million cubic metres of wood per year, according to an analysis by Quebec's chief forester, Louis Pelletier.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 31, 2024.