The Maligne Herd of caribou in Jasper is gone, and the rest of the caribou in the park are unlikely to be able to survive long-term. The Tonquin Valley herd still has around 45 individuals. I was lucky enough to be able to spend some in Tonquin Valley with some of the caribou. They are beautiful and curious creatures. The first time I saw them they got up and walked toward me to investigate. I sat down and watched them grazing and relaxing in the mountain meadow. Eventually other hikers came along the trail making a lot of noise. The caribou heard them from almost a kilometer away, got up and started to move away. The hikers were of course excited to see the caribou, and while loudly talking and rummaging through their gear to get out their camera equipment, they slowly chased the caribou across the valley until both the hikers and caribou disappeared over the horizon. I understand the excitement, but the lack of respect is frustrating. If an animal is moving away from you, please don’t follow it.
