Mealy Mountain News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

  ST. JOHN'S, N.L. -- Newfoundland and Labrador wildlife officials are investigating evidence of alleged illegal hunting of caribou in southern Labrador. Officers with the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture discovered the evidence at a campsite in southern Labrador that they say was used by a group of hunters from Quebec, according to a statement on Wednesday. The department said it first became aware of the group from Quebec on Feb. 25. It said officers made regular visits to the site and noted there were more than 30 snowmobiles there at some points. Caribou hunting i...

"From my understanding from local people, that little bunch of caribou, the 30-odd caribou that was there, is gone. Like, they're no more," Yetman said, adding that there won't be caribou again in that area until the herd's population rebounds and is able to spread out again in pockets of small groupings. Given the vast open Labrador land, the small herds tend to move in smaller pockets, with limited intermingling between factions within the herd, Yetman said. The George River caribou herd in northern Labrador is one of three herds protected by a hunting ban.(Submitted by Brandon Pardy) "Sign...

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 comm...