Engineering a future for caribou

Parks Canada is working to rebuild healthy, sustainable caribou herds in Jasper National Park through conservation breeding. The program will raise caribou and release them into Jasper's Tonquin herd.

This program is the first of its kind in Canada, and will:

• relocate a small number of wild caribou into the Conservation Breeding Centre
• raise a herd of caribou at the breeding centre, where calves are born each year
• release caribou born in the breeding centre into the Tonquin herd when they are 14 to 16 months old
• monitor the animals and collaborate with partners and experts to adapt the program based on what is learned
• explore releasing caribou from the breeding centre where herds have disappeared in Jasper National Park

To ensure the program's success, Parks Canada needed a Caribou Conservation Breeding Centre (North America's first!), located in the Jasper wilderness - and Thurber provided the geotechnical services to make it a reality.

Thurber reviewed the proposed site development areas and visited the site to determine a suitable way to sample the soil conditions and provide geotechnical recommendations for developing the site. It was a bit challenging being somewhat heavily treed and within a national park. We did terrain analysis, hand sampling, and backhoe test pits to explore the site. We helped evaluate the site layout and provided recommendations for the access roads, utility installations, and for the building site preparation and foundation recommendations.

The facility is now open and hosting the first group of caribou, captured in 2025. In 2026/2027, the facility will celebrate the first release of caribou into the Tonquin Valley.

The footprint of the Conservation Breeding Centre is approximately 65 hectares or more than 80 soccer fields. It is similar in size to Jasper’s Lake Edith or Patricia Lake. It can house up to 120 caribou at varying life stages and health statuses throughout the year.

The state-of-the-art facility was developed in consultation with global experts in caribou conservation and handling. Best practices from maternity-penning projects, wildlife veterinary research organizations, conservation and zookeeping were adapted to meet the needs of caribou in Jasper.

The Conservation Breeding Centre is closed to the public. Access is limited to staff, specialists, researchers and Indigenous partners. Parks Canada’s highest priorities at the breeding centre are preventing disease transmission, minimizing disturbance to the caribou and minimizing their interactions with people.