Reducing moose numbers could help protect Canadian caribou populations from wolf predation

Woodland caribou populations in Canada are declining because of habitat changes that benefit common prey species of wolves (such as moose and deer), leading to increasing numbers of wolves that kill caribou. To protect caribou, wildlife managers have reduced wolf numbers in some caribou ranges, but this may cause moose populations to grow, resulting in a wolf rebound.

New research in The Journal of Wildlife Management has found that reducing moose populations to historical levels through hunting could be helpful for caribou conservation.

The analysis included regions in British Columbia and Alberta with high moose populations where lethal wolf removals were conducted annually for caribou recovery. In some places, moose populations were also reduced through hunting. Reducing moose populations led to fewer wolves killed to protect caribou populations; specifically, 3.2 times fewer wolves were removed in areas with reduced moose populations.

“Policies that allow increasing moose abundance in association with wolf removals are anticipated to make ongoing wolf removal objectives increasingly difficult to achieve, thereby challenging caribou conservation,” said corresponding author Michelle L. McLellan, Ph.D., of the Wildlife Science Centre and the University of British Columbia. “Our findings highlight the importance of considering entire ecosystems when developing policies to protect endangered wildlife.”