Alberta's caribou in trouble, says report

A report issued Monday says Alberta's woodland caribou are being pushed towards extinction.

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) says industry is destroying caribou habitat, and it wants the government to set aside more protected areas.

The group says the decline in caribou numbers is due to rapid oil, natural gas, and forestry development.

"Some forestry companies are cutting hardwoods. Petroleum exploration companies are cutting seismic lines, drilling wells, and putting in pipelines. And all these companies are building roads thousands of kilometers of roads," said researcher Rich Schneider.

"We are basically transforming the very nature of the forest and a species like the caribou are paying the price," he said.

Schneider said it could be 37 years before caribou in Alberta are totally eliminated.

"Scientists have concluded Canada's woodland caribou population is undergoing what they term 'slow moving extinction,'" said Tim Gray, of CPAWS.

There are fewer than 200,000 caribou left in Canada, said CPAWS.

Valleyview Mayor Norm Adolphson doesn't buy it.

"I think we have to be careful, but at the same time I don't think we should shut down industries because there are a few caribou they think might be having a problem," he said.