Ontario caribou facing wolf attacks to be moved off island by helicopter
Endangered caribou on an island in Lake Superior will be rounded up, blindfolded and placed inside a helicopter to travel to a new home early next year as the Ontario government tries to save them from a pack of wolves.
The complex relocation of the caribou from Michipicoten Island was announced by Ontario’s minister of natural resources and forestry on Thursday, with the government noting that the animals are destined to join a small herd on another island where they’ll roam free from predators.
Troubles for the caribou began in the winter of 2013 when an ice bridge formed that allowed a small number of wolves to travel the 16 kilometres from the mainland to the island in northwestern Ontario, said ministry spokeswoman Jolanta Kowalski.
The ice bridge formed the following winter as well, and was considered a rare occurrence, Kowalski said.