Threatened caribou transferred between Lake Superior islands via helicopter

As of Jan. 15, a total of nine caribou were transferred to the Slate Islands near the Canadian town of Terrace Bay. The caribou came from another island on Lake Superior known as Michipicoten Island. The purpose of the transfer was to move threatened caribou from Michipicoten Island to the Slates to protect them from wolves, which were reportedly pushing the population toward extinction.

Transferring the caribou from island to island involved nets, sedatives and helicopters. A majority of the relocations took place between Jan. 12-15.

WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs spoke with Christian Schroeder, a Canadian resident who remains at the forefront of the fight to save woodland caribou from extinction on the coast of Lake Superior.