Biologists use maternity pens to save endangered B.C. mountain caribou

REVELSTOKE, B.C. – Biologists are hoping to save a herd of endangered mountain caribou in southeastern British Columbia by sequestering pregnant cows to ensure they give birth safely.

Cory Legebokow (LE-juh-BO-ko) of the organization Revelstoke Caribou Rearing in the Wild Society says a team of specialists captured 12 female caribou on Monday and transferred them to a holding pen.

The expectant mothers will be fed and monitored so their calves can be born in an area away from predators.

Both mothers and babies are expected to stay in the pen until early July, giving the young time to gain strength before they are released into the wild.

Mountain caribou are listed as a threatened species under the Species at Risk Act, and Legebokow says their numbers in the Revelstoke area have declined by up to 80 per cent over the past decade.

The maternity pen project is funded by a number of sources, including the federal and B.C. government.