SURVIVAL AND MORTALITY OF TRANSLOCATED WOODLAND CARIBOU

We monitored survival of 60 woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus) trans located from British Columbia to the Selkirk Mountains of northern Ida ho between March 1987 and February 1992. This translocation was to ass ist in recovery of the endangered Selkirk population. For all transloc ated caribou combined, estimated annual survival rates ranged from 0.6 5-0.94 and were consistent with declining established populations. No differences (P > 0.10) in survival were found between male and female caribou or between mountain and northern ecotypes. Causes of death inc luded unknown (n = 14), predation (n = 7), other (n = 4), and human-ca used (n = 2), with summer accounting for the greatest proportion (53%) . Emigration of 7 mountain ecotype animals also was a loss to the popu lation. Mountain lions (Felis concolor) caused most confirmed predator kills. Seasonal pattern of mortality was consistent with established populations where predation was identified as a significant factor.