Caribou in Denali Montains, Alaska

he range of the Denali Caribou Herd is almost exclusively within the boundaries of Denali National Park and Preserve. The Denali Herd inhabits most of the park east of the Foraker River and north of the Alaska Range throughout most of the year.
The size of the Denali Herd has fluctuated greatly over the last 80 years. It once numbered over 20,000 caribou during the 1920's and 1930's. During the 1940's through the 1960's, the herd declined to 10,000 animals but remained somewhat stable.
Further declines occurred during the 1970's when numbers reached a low of approximately 1,000 animals. The herd was subject to harvest until the mid 1970's but all harvest was discontinued as a result of the precipitous population decline. Studies from the late 1970's indicated that early calf survival was very poor even though adult cows were in good condition and had adequate food resources. Predation on young calves was thought to be a major factor in the population decline.
The Denali Caribou Herd has experienced some periods of growth during the last 20 years. It increased by approximately 10% per year between 1977 and 1990. By 1990, the herd numbered 3,700 animals. However, the winter of 1990-91 was very severe and set new snowfall records.
The herd declined as much as 30% between 1990 and 1991, likely due to weather induced stresses and increased vulnerability to predation. Currently, there are approximately 1,760 caribou in Denali.

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Amazing, Marek 🙂