Wildlife

Wild Reindeer and Caribou Welfare

Wild reindeer and caribou undertake some of the longest mammal migrations on Earth, facing welfare challenges from climate change, predation, and human development.

Key Facts

Caribou herds in North America migrate up to 3,000 kilometres annually
Climate change is disrupting the timing of tundra greening relative to calving
Infrastructure including pipelines and roads fragments migration routes
Wolf and bear predation on weakened individuals is a natural welfare balance mechanism
Climate change is predicted to reduce caribou and wild reindeer populations significantly

Welfare Considerations

Wild reindeer and caribou face welfare challenges from climate-driven mismatches between calving and forage availability, migration route disruption from development, and increased parasite burdens from warming temperatures. Individual animals experiencing starvation, separation from herds, or injury from infrastructure face acute welfare harm. Protecting migration corridors and reducing climate emissions are the scale-appropriate interventions.

What You Can Do

Support campaigns to protect caribou migration corridors from development
Engage with climate action as a wildlife welfare issue
Learn about climate change impacts on Arctic and subarctic species
Donate to research on caribou and reindeer population trends
Advocate for development setback requirements protecting migration routes