If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Maine has tried twice unsuccessfully, once in 1963 and again in 1986-1990, to reintroduce caribou to our North Woods. Does this adage apply? Did Maine give up too easily on its effort to establish a caribou population? Sometimes persistence can make dreams come true.
As reported last week in this column, nine states in the Eastern and Central United States, have successfully transplanted elk with a lot of help and financial support from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF). Elk once roamed the woods of these states but were extirpated by man, not unlike our Maine caribou. Maine was once a natural home to large numbers of Woodland Caribou. Hard to believe, but it’s true. A little more than 100 years ago, caribou were a common sight in the Allagash region. Historical documents indicate that Maine’s last remaining caribou were killed off by market hunters who sold them to big city restaurants. According to Allagash Waterway Director Matt LaRoche, a small herd of caribou were seen by a game warden in the Katahdin region as late as 1914.
As LaRoche reported, both of Maine’s caribou transplant projects “failed miserably.” None of the caribou survived. They were either killed by predators, perished from brain worm, or simply moved out of the area.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist Mark McCollough, who was the lead biologist for Maine’s most recent caribou restoration projects, believes that further attempt s to reintroduce caribou to Maine would have low odds of being successful. Transplanted caribou confront two mortal enemies: brain worm, contracted from deer; and black bears, who know how to ravage caribou calves and even adult caribou. One of the problems with the two caribou transplant projects was the low number of animals released. In 1963 only 24 animals were released to the wild and 35 from 1986-1990. Contrast that figure to the Kentucky elk transplant project that involved the reintroduction of 1,500 elk!
McCollough says that following the failed 1989 project some “population modeling” was done that suggested that at least 100 animals would need to be released to increase the probability of success. Of course, the more animals the higher probability of success and the higher the cost. In the Kentucky project, the RMEF donated $1.4 million, not to mention what it cost the Blue Grass state.
McCollough disclosed that about half of the Maine transplanted caribou contracted brain worm in the Orono holding pens ( from local deer) and then transported the parasite with them to the released areas. It seems obvious that a lot was learned from the mistakes made during the first two failed attempts to transplant caribou. Given the low density of deer in far northern Maine, brain worm might be a negligible factor during a third attempt at transplanting caribou. There are other challenges though, not the least of which is less old growth forest for caribou forage and there is no longer a plentiful source of Woodland Caribou in Newfoundland.
Finally, projects like this cost money — lots of money. To be successful a third attempt to transplant caribou in Maine would require a benefactor organization like RMEF, or perhaps another Roxanne Quimby with deep pockets and passion for wildlife restoration.
In my conversation with McCollough he said that his guarded prognosis on a third transplant attempt would be far more optimistic if Maine could transplant a much larger number of animals.
Can you imagine the thrill of seeing caribou, even a small herd, roaming wild along the Allagash or in Baxter Park?
The author is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide and host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network. He has authored three books. Online purchase information is available at www.maineoutdoorpublications.com.
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