Shrinking caribou herd may no longer be state’s biggest

A rough estimate shows the Western Arctic Caribou Herd is not rebounding from its last several years of declining population.
Caribou graze on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, with the Brooks Range as a backdrop. (USFWS)
The Alaska Dispatch News reports state wildlife experts estimate the herd’s population at 200,000, down from the 235,000 counted in the 2013 census.
Fairbanks-based Fish and Game biologist Lincoln Parrett briefed the Western Alaska Caribou Herd Wor