Game Agents To Transplant 12 Caribou

State wildlife officials’ efforts to restore endangered mountain caribou will take them into Canada next week.

Members of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will help capture at least a dozen caribou near Prince George, British Columbia, for release in the Selkirk Mountains.

The animals will be transplanted to the Stagleap Provincial Park area, just north of the U.S. border. In the past two years, 32 caribou have been captured in Canada and transplanted.

“Our radio telemetry tracking of the caribou show them wandering back and forth across the border throughout the year,” said Jon Almach, project leader for the state. “Releasing them on the Canadian side of the border saves considerable time and money.”

There are about 35 of the animals in the Selkirks, spanning corners of Washington, Idaho and British Columbia.

It is the last herd in the United States

In addition to the 32 recent transplants, wildlife officials have also placed radio collars on eight other caribou in the area. Of those 40 animals, 23 have died from predators, poaching, accidents and unknown causes, Fish and Wildlife said.

The Washington wildlife officials will work with federal wildlife officers, Idaho Department of Fish and Game workers and British Columbia officials.

They will capture the animals using nets fired from guns on helicopters. The animals will be moved by truck to the release areas.