Lands and Natural Resources Minister Darryl Shiwak says he’s been advised of several reports of caribou being harvested from the endangered Mealy Mountains herd on Labrador Inuit Lands.
“We have received a number of reports that caribou are being taken by multiple hunters travelling in to the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Area, and that there doesn’t appear to be any enforcement efforts being carried out to stop the illegal activity,” notes Minister Shiwak.
The Mealy Mountains sub-population of boreal woodland caribou is listed as an endangered species under federal and provincial species-at-risk legislation.
“The provincial and federal governments are responsible to monitor and enforce measures under their respective legislation,” says Minister Shiwak. “This is unacceptable, and we would expect action will be taken to ensure the Mealy Mountains caribou are protected.”