There are only an estimated 1,700 caribou left in the herd, spread out over roughly 80,000 square kilometres. Elders who previously hunted the caribou for decades want to be able to pass down their cultural knowledge to the younger generation, Russell said, but are unable to do so without risking the herd being wiped out. "They're suffering — they're not killing caribou, they're not hunting caribou, even though they long to, even though they want the taste of caribou again, even though they want to show the younger generation," Russell said. Todd Russell, president of the NunatuKavut community council of Labrador, says a potential caribou hunt is a regular concern.(Mark Quinn/ CBC)