CALGARY, Alberta, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Canada's woodland caribou population is at risk, with fewer than 250 remaining in the country's national parks, government officials said.
Parks Canada, the British Columbia government and the Calgary Zoo are developing a captive breeding program intended to reinforce and augment herds of the iconic species, officials said.
More than 800 caribou ranged in the mountain national parks 25 years ago.
The captive breeding program will help supplement critically small herds in Jasper, Mount Revelstoke and Glacier national parks, and reintroduce caribou to Banff National Park.
Parks Canada said it is exploring methods to reverse the decline of woodland caribou, including seasonal trail and area closures and managing the density of alternate prey species for caribou predators.
