Parks Canada's website says that early park management practices resulted in too many wolves, while trails used for skiing and snowshoeing also made easy access for wolves to prey on the caribou herds. Habitat loss as a result of increased wildfires, insect outbreaks and human activity have also contributed to the population decline.

Reduced to just 6,500 animals in 1995, the Fortymile caribou herd in Yukon has seen a remarkable comeback, now numbering around 84,000.

The Kootenay populations, a fixture on the landscape for thousands of years, succumbed to industrial disturbances and other human activity in their critical habitat.

The George River caribou herd, which straddles Labrador and Quebec, is in a critical state, according to biologists.

Across the Far North, populations of caribou — an indispensable source of food and clothing for indigenous people — are in steep decline. Scientists point to rising temperatures and a resource-development boom as the prime culprits.