MONTREAL — The Quebec government says it is moving forward with its plan to capture and fence in animals from two isolated caribou herds in a bid to save them from dying out.

Representatives from the Wildlife Department told reporters today that members of the herds in Gaspésie, Que., and Charlevoix, Que., will be captured and moved to newly built enclosures in the coming months. 

The entire Charlevoix herd, estimated at fewer than 20 animals, will remain in the enclosures indefinitely, while in Gaspésie, the plan is to capture just the pregnant females and release them once their fawns are a few months old.

The province is also building a bigger pen for the herd in Val d'Or, Que., which was enclosed in 2020 and counts just seven animals.

Environmentalists have criticized the Quebec government for its failure to protect the caribou's old-growth forest habitat and for delaying the release of its long-awaited action plan to rebuild the species.

Carl Patenaude-Levasseur, a manager with the Wildlife Department, told reporters that fencing in the animals is considered a temporary measure to help them survive, but he could not say when they might be released.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 19, 2022.

The Canadian Press