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The government of the Northwest Territories has new population estimates for the Bathurst and Bluenose-East barren-ground caribou herds.
Survey results from this year show an overall decline of both herds compared to recent years, although the 2025 estimate of the Bluenose-East herd is still larger than in 2021.
The newest data show an estimated 28,759 adult Bluenose-East caribou. That’s down from the 39,525 counted in 2023. In 2021, officials counted only 23,202.
For the Bathurst herd, the 2025 surveys counted about 3,609 adult caribou. That represents a decline of about 47 per cent over three years, down from 6,851 estimated in 2022.
“This decline is concerning, given all the efforts of the [territorial government] and our co-management partners to reduce pressures on this herd through a range of management actions,” the government of the Northwest Territories said in a news release Thursday.
The estimates are based on calving ground surveys and herd composition surveys from June and October of this year. The territorial government said it would be meeting with Indigenous governments and other co-management partners to review these results and discuss next steps.
In June, northerners got some rare good news about caribou when data for the Beverly herd showed an increase of 50,000 animals since the last population survey in 2017.
In Thursday’s news release, N.W.T. Environment Minister Jay Macdonald emphasized how central caribou are to northern culture and identity.
“We are committed to strengthening conservation efforts and increase the numbers of these precious animals, tied so closely to the life in North,” Macdonald said.