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Ontario caribou under threat from wolf attacks to be transported by helicopter

The provincial government is concerned the Michipicoten Island caribou will be wiped out if no action is taken. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Peninsula Clarion, M. Scott Moon

The Ontario government plans to move endangered caribou off an island in Lake Superior by helicopter to save the animals from a pack of wolves.

Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Kathryn McGarry says the wolves got onto Michipicoten Island using a rarely formed ice bridge several years ago.

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She says the government will take a portion of the caribou population to Slate Islands in Lake Superior where they’ll roam in an area free from predators.

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The ministry hopes the relocated caribou will eventually breed with a herd already on the Slate Islands to help grow their population.

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READ MORE: Moose on the loose captured on camera at Calgary Transit station

The government is worried the Michipicoten Island caribou will be wiped out if no action is taken.
It says the animals will be moved sometime early in the new year.

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