“The world is the true classroom. The most rewarding and important type of learning is through experience, seeing something with our own eyes.”
– Jack Hanna
One of the biggest challenges in conservation is fostering appreciation and gaining support for an animal that most people will never see. This winter in Jasper National Park, one caribou has unknowingly become a champion for caribou conservation.
Nicknamed “Frankie Thunderbowl” for his love of the Thunderbowl run at Marmot Basin Ski Area, the male caribou has been spending most of the winter on or near the ski hill. Seeing a caribou in the wild has sparked interest throughout the community as visitors and locals alike trade stories of seeing Mr. Thunderbowl.
In response, Parks Canada’s resident caribou specialists have answered some of the commonly heard questions about Frankie.
What is Frankie eating up there – is there enough food?
Caribou are able to survive almost exclusively on lichen through the winter. In Jasper, they eat the lichens that grow on the ground, so look for “craters” on the hill, areas where Frankie has been digging through the snow to reach the lichens.
Lichen is not a highly nutritious food source, but the trade-off is that by staying high in the mountains through winter, caribou avoid predators.
Why is he alone? Is this normal? Is he sick?
Just like the elk in the valley, throughout most of the year it is not uncommon to see male caribou on their own, especially older bulls. Parks Canada and Marmot Basin staff are keeping an eye on Frankie and while we don’t have any concerns about his health, we do think he is relatively old.
Why are you delaying access into areas of the backcountry when caribou like Frankie don’t seem to be disturbed by people?
The delayed access areas are to prevent packed trails from helping wolves reach important winter caribou habitat (facilitated predator access) not to prevent disturbance of caribou by people.
These areas are open later in the season (February 16 for the Tonquin range), as by late winter, the snow naturally compacts and packed trails are less likely to offer wolves an unnatural advantage. The ski hill, an already developed area, is not considered critical to the survival of caribou and the level of activity (people, cars, groomers, etc.) makes this an unsuitable area for wolves.
Are Parks Canada and Marmot Basin doing anything to protect Frankie?
Park Canada has worked closely with Marmot Basin to establish appropriate protocols for managing this particular animal. Marmot Basin has consistently taken the initiative to ensure that any caribou that venture onto the ski hill are kept safe and interactions between caribou and ski hill patrons are minimized.
With the ski hill adjacent to Tonquin caribou habitat, it is not unusual to see caribou in the area. It is unprecedented, however, for a caribou to spend so much time on the ski hill. While this habituated behaviour is not ideal, it has led to unique and memorable experiences for Marmot Basin patrons this winter.
The collaboration between Parks Canada and Marmot Basin has supported both protection of this Species at Risk and greater awareness of caribou in the park.
Next time you hit the slopes in Jasper, be sure to look for Frankie and know that beyond the boundaries of the ski area, the spectacular high mountain slopes are protected for the rest of his herd.
