We spent two nights winter camping in the hope of tracking down some Central Mountain Caribou (an ecotype of Rangifer tarandus caribou). After seeing fresh footprints in the snow the day before we finally located some of these amazing animals on the morning we were due to head home. Mountain Caribou of Northern BC have been in a steep decline since the 1990’s. Their decline is a result of direct habitat loss along with increased predation associated with ecosystem change from land alteration. While they are listed as threatened federally in Canada the Federal Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has recommended that mountain caribou be listed as endangered. This particular herd was counted via aerial survey at 120 in 2007 and had dropped to 45 by 2012. It seems the implementation of a caribou management plan in 2013 has potentially stabilised the population; however there has yet to be any significant increase with the herd being counted at 50 in 2015. Northern British Columbia, Canada.
A wet grizzly in the wild searching below the tide line for food. By all accounts the salmon run coming though Knights Inlet this year is down 80-90% so the bears are quite thin for this time of year and having to range further afield for food. North American Brown Bear or Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis). Knight Inlet, British Columbia, Canada.
Flamenco de James (Phoenicopterus jamesi) - Laguna Colorada - Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve, Bolivia
