As December’s Facebook posts on reindeer come to an end, I hope that each of you have learned something about this fascinating species.

When we think of reindeer and caribou, we think of vast herds of migratory animals that cross the tundra of the holo-Arctic regions of the earth. However, a wild herd of caribou has migrated for thousands of years across the southern border from Canada and into Washington and Idaho.

The last remaining herd of caribou to roam the contiguous United States is believed to be on the brink of disappearing, after an aerial count suggested that only three members survived the winter – all of them female.

The South Selkirk herd were once part of a larger population of southern mountain caribou whose habitat spanned much of the Pacific Northwest. But human activity has forced the population to break off into small herds.

By 2009, the Selkirk herd was estimated to have about 50 members, living in an ecosystem that stretched from British Columbia to Washington and Idaho.

Seven years later that number had dwindled to 12, despite decades of efforts to save them. In April of 2018, the provincial government of British Columbia reported that this number continued to diminish until just 3 animals remained.

Steps  are being made to help save this group of caribou. I am proud to be involved in these efforts.

Humans are one of hundreds of thousands of animal species to inhabit this earth. Each species, however inconspicuous or humble it may seem, is a masterpiece of biology and is well worth saving.

And  that is my take!

N. Isaac Bott, DVM