Caribou is a species without equal, a cherished national symbol, the most mobile land animal in the world, a creature pivotal to human survival, and now, the most formidable conservation challenge in Canada. 

The story of Canadian caribou was retold on Tuesday, October 25, 2016 on CBC Radio. Dr. James Schaefer, a Biology professor and the Director of the Environmental & Life Sciences Graduate Program at Trent, and adjunct professor, Dr. Justina Ray of Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, co-produced a one hour program for CBC Ideas with host Paul Kennedy. With other top caribou experts, they revealed how the caribou narrative is fundamentally about people. Listen to the full program at CBC Ideas.

The program explores our shared past, the personal encounters with caribou, the deep cultural connections with caribou, and the struggles for survival, and it will provide a glimpse of our shared future, the immense obstacles and the narrowing opportunities for keeping caribou on the northern barrens and in the boreal forest.