Caribou Watching

Mature boreal forest more than 700 metres in altitude and alpine tundra are popular habitats for the caribou of Gaspésie. This population is the only one south of the St. Lawrence River. On the Mont Jacques-Cartier trail (1,270 metres in altitude), accessible from July 1 to September 30, you can usually see caribou. In September, the males and females, accompanied by their young, gather in preparation for the rutting season, a great time to make behavioural observations. If an animal appears on the scene, it is recommended that the following few guidelines be followed so as to avoid interfering with its activities as much as possible.

In order to ensure wildlife protection, the parks have adopted regulations that include a ban on feeding and/or attempting to pet or otherwise tame its creatures. Naturally, to achieve our objectives, our visitors have to be on board. Here’s why you should not feed wildlife:

• Animals find food adapted to their needs in nature.
• The food offered may not be suitable for their digestive system and may cause discomfort, health problems, and even death.
• Feeding animals creates a dependency on humans that can make them vulnerable to predators.
• The lure of food makes them much less fearful of humans and creates conflict and even danger.
• Every time we disrupt their natural activities, we change the behavior of these animals, sometimes at the risk of their lives.