Dozens of wolves were killed by hunters under a new incentive program last year. But a biologist with the territorial government says it’s too soon to say if the program is helping caribou.
The territorial government launched the Enhanced North Slave Wolf Harvest Incentive Program last winter. It was designed to support the recovery of barren-ground caribou herds that have been in rapid decline by culling a key predator — wolves.
The program drew criticism in the past from biologists who questioned its efficacy.
The territorial government said hunters harvested 59 wolves in the new harvest area last year. Seven others were harvested outside the new area.
That’s an increase from 40 wolves in 2017/18, according to Robert Mulders, a carnivore biologist with the territorial government.
“There’s a lot of concern about the role of predators — in particular, wolves,” said Mulders. “The objective is to put more harvest pressure on the wolves.”
“There’s a fair bit of interest with more tags being sold,” he said.
Demand for tags nearly tripled in 2018/19, with 1,057 tags awarded, according to a recent North Slave operational report.
Under the program, the territorial government paid hunters $900 per wolf pelt harvested in the incentive harvest zone, and up to $1,650 per animal, depending on the quality of the pelt.
Many of the wolves harvested were in “reasonably good shape” and taken within ten to 20 kilometres of the winter road, said Mulders.
Necropsies confirmed 95 per cent of those wolves had eaten caribou. Previous versions of the incentive program saw many hunters trapping wolves near dumps and communities.
Mulders said at least now they know trappers are harvesting in areas where there’s lots of caribou.
“Definitely a step in the right direction here,” said Mulders, who noted launching the program in February could account for the moderate increase in animals harvested.
“The literature and other jurisdictions that have done this have suggested you do have to remove 60 to 80 percent of the wolf population and keep that pressure up for a number of years to be effective,” he said, “so that’s definitely something we’re striving for.”
For Inuvialuit trapper Nathan Kogiak, each wolf pelt counts.
“I was raised on caribou,” said Kogiak, who lives in Yellowknife and regularly traps lynx.
He jumped at the chance to take part in a program that could help caribou herds recover.
“If this is the one thing we can do right now, then of course I’m going to participate,” he said.
Kogiak says a cull of 59 wolves is “pretty good” considering how vast their range is.
And the incentive makes it easier to get way out on the land.
“Going for a wolf inside the zone to me is worth it. That’s 900 bucks,” he said, per pelt. With the expense of gas, he said, “it made a difference.”
‘Hundreds of wolves’ could be harvested
The territorial government did not have any firm targets for last year’s wolf incentive harvest program, though management plans for the Bathurst herd suggest harvesting 80 and 120 wolves, said Mulders.
He says the territorial government, and other jurisdictions in Canada, don’t have a good handle on how many wolves there are.
“It’s a vast area, a huge chunk of real estate,” he said, referring to their range.
“The challenge is that not having reliable measures of wolf abundance makes it difficult to set those target levels,” he said. There’s also variability in the number of caribou herds in the winter range.
“We do think significantly more wolves could be taken, particularly on the barrens. People get out on their snow machine and move away from the winter road,” he said.
If those areas were harvested, “we could be into the hundreds of wolves,” he said.
The territory is going even further this year to get hunters involved.
Wolf tags cost $22 last year, but this year, they’ll be free. Wolf pelt preparation and harvesting workshops will be held in North Slave communities.
“It’s very urgent,” said Mulders. “The Bathurst and Bluenose-East herds are in significant decline…. It’s just finding an approach that the co-management partners will support.”
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Northern Canadians want caribou calving grounds protected, WWF says, Radio Canada International
Finland: Finland’s wolf population up 10 percent, Yle News
Norway: Polar bear shot dead after attacking person on Svalbard, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Walruses attack, sink small navy craft in Arctic Russia, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Sweden’s wolf numbers slide, illegal hunting blamed, Radio Sweden
United States: Trump admin pushes for looser rules on predator hunting in Alaska, Alaska Public Media
Mengi ya mbwa mwitu waliuawa na wawindaji chini ya mpango mpya wa motisha mwaka jana. Lakini mwanabiolojia mmoja wa serikali ya eneo hilo anasema ni mapema sana kusema kama programu hiyo inasaidia caribou. Serikali ya eneo hilo ilizindua Programu ya Kichocheo cha Kuvuna Nyati wa Watumwa wa Kaskazini mwaka jana. Ilibuniwa ili kusaidia kurejeshwa kwa makundi ya caribou ya ardhi isiyo na rutuba ambayo yamekuwa yakipungua haraka kwa kuua mwindaji muhimu <unk> mbwa mwitu. Programu hiyo ilikosolewa zamani na wanabiolojia ambao walihoji ufanisi wake. Serikali ya eneo hilo imesema wawindaji waliwinda mbwa mwitu 59 katika eneo hilo la kuvuna mwaka jana. Nyingine saba zilivunwa nje ya eneo hilo jipya. Hii ni ongezeko kutoka kwa mbwa mwitu 40 katika 2017-18, kulingana na Robert Mulders, mtaalamu wa biolojia wa nyama na serikali ya eneo hilo. "Kuna wasiwasi mwingi kuhusu jukumu la wawindaji - hasa, mbwa-mwitu", alisema Mulders. "Lengo ni kuweka shinikizo zaidi la mavuno juu ya mbwa-mwitu. " "Kuna upendezi mzuri na vitambulisho zaidi vinavyouzwa", alisema. Mahitaji ya vitambulisho vya utunzaji wa afya yaliongezeka mara tatu katika mwaka wa 2018 na mwaka wa 2019, na vitambulisho 1,057 vilitolewa, kulingana na ripoti ya hivi karibuni ya uendeshaji wa NorthSlave. Kwa mujibu wa mpango huo, serikali ya eneo hilo ililipa wawindaji $900 kwa ngozi ya mbwa mwitu iliyokolewa katika eneo la kuvuna, na hadi $1,650 kwa mnyama, kulingana na ubora wa ngozi. "Wavulana wengi waliokamatwa walikuwa katika ""hali nzuri sana"" na walichukuliwa ndani ya kilomita kumi hadi 20 za barabara ya majira ya baridi kali, ""Mulders alisema." Uchunguzi wa maiti ulithibitisha kwamba asilimia 95 ya mbwa-mwitu hao walikuwa wamekula caribou. Matoleo ya awali ya programu ya motisha yaliona wawindaji wengi wakivamia mbwa-mwitu karibu na mahali pa kutupia taka na jamii. Mulders alisema angalau sasa wanajua wawindaji wanakusanya katika maeneo ambapo kuna caribou nyingi. "Hakika ni hatua katika mwelekeo sahihi hapa", alisema Mulders, ambaye alibainisha uzinduzi wa programu hiyo mwezi Februari inaweza kuwa sababu ya ongezeko la wastani la wanyama waliovunwa. "Uandishi na mamlaka nyingine ambazo zimefanya hivyo zimedokeza kwamba lazima uondoe asilimia 60 hadi 80 ya idadi ya mbwa mwitu na kudumisha shinikizo hilo kwa miaka kadhaa ili kuwa na ufanisi, ""alisema, ""kwa hivyo hiyo ni kitu ambacho tunajitahidi.""" "Nililelewa na caribou", akasema Kogiak, anayeishi Yellowknife na ambaye huwinda lynx kwa ukawaida. Alikubali kwa hamu nafasi ya kushiriki katika programu ambayo ingeweza kusaidia makundi ya caribou kupona. "Ikiwa hii ni kitu kimoja tunaweza kufanya sasa hivi, basi bila shaka nitajiunga", alisema. Kogiak anasema kuwa kundi la mbwa mwitu 59 ni "bora sana" kwa kuzingatia jinsi eneo lao linavyokuwa kubwa. Na kichocheo hufanya iwe rahisi kupata njia ya nje kwenye ardhi. <unk>Kwenda kwa mbwa mwitu ndani ya eneo kwa ajili yangu ni thamani yake. Hiyo ni dola 900, "alisema, kwa kila ngozi. "Mwanamke huyo alisema: ""Hakuna sababu ya kutaka kuondoa mbwa mwitu, lakini kuna sababu ya kuondoa mbwa mwitu, kwa sababu kuna sababu ya kuondoa mbwa mwitu, lakini kuna sababu ya kuondoa mbwa mwitu, "" alisema Mulders." Anasema serikali ya eneo hilo, na mamlaka nyingine nchini Canada, hazijui ni mbwa mwitu wangapi wapo. "Ni eneo kubwa, sehemu kubwa ya mali isiyohamishika", alisema, akirejelea eneo lao. "Gogoro ni kwamba kutokuwa na vipimo vya kuaminika vya wingi wa mbwa mwitu hufanya iwe vigumu kuweka viwango hivyo vya lengo", alisema. Pia kuna tofauti katika idadi ya makundi ya caribou katika eneo la majira ya baridi. <unk>Tunafikiri kwamba mbwa-mwitu wengi zaidi wangeweza kuchukuliwa, hasa katika maeneo yasiyo na vichaka. Watu kupata nje juu ya mashine yao theluji na hoja mbali na barabara ya majira ya baridi, "alisema. Kama maeneo hayo yangevunwa, "tungeweza kuwa na mamia ya mbwa mwitu", alisema. Eneo hilo linaendelea hata zaidi mwaka huu ili kuwaingiza wawindaji. Toleo la Wolf Taggers lilitolewa kwa $ 22 na mwaka huu, toleo la Wolf Taggers limetolewa kwa $ 22. Warsha za kutayarisha na kuvuna ngozi ya mbwa mwitu zitafanyika katika jamii za North Slave. "Ni jambo la haraka sana", akasema Mulders. <unk>Mifugo ya Bathurst na Bluenose-East imepungua sana.... "Kama ilivyoelezwa katika taarifa ya BBC, ""Wachezaji wa ndege wa Norway wanaendelea kujihami dhidi ya ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege za ndege."""