In one chart, the near-disappearance of a caribou herd – Cabin Radio
November 18, 2025
The disappearing Bathurst caribou herd
These are government estimates of the Bathurst herd’s size since 1986. Each red circle represents 1,000 caribou. The 1986 estimate is 136 times bigger than the one for 2025.
In 2022, the Bathurst caribou herd was estimated to include between 6,000 and 7,000 animals – down from 470,000 in 1986. In the three years since, the herd appears to have halved again in size.
New estimates released last week by the NWT government put the Bathurst herd at 3,609 animals, an exceedingly bleak all-time low.
