Caribou in the USA

[elefante]

Does anyone know if there are breeding programs for specific subspecies of caribou in the USA? For example, woodland caribou have become rare, are there programs for those? Or are they managed as sort of a generic species? I know in general caribou aren't real common in zoos here.

 

[Pleistohorse]

Most Caribou I’ve seen in zoos are domestic reindeer. I believe Northwest Trek specifically refers to their animals as Woodland Caribou.

 

[birdsandbats]

I believe Buffalo keeps Woodland Caribou.

 

[Great Argus]

San Diego has caribou, no clue what subspecies.

San Francisco brings in caribou in the winter, domestics pretty certainly.

It appears caribou are not an intensively managed species by AZA.

 

[Zoological Point]

San Diego has caribou, no clue what subspecies.

San Francisco brings in caribou in the winter, domestics pretty certainly.

It appears caribou are not an intensively managed species by AZA.

San Diego's are Siberian Reindeer (R. t. sibiricus)

 

[elefante]

San Diego has caribou, no clue what subspecies.

San Francisco brings in caribou in the winter, domestics pretty certainly.

It appears caribou are not an intensively managed species by AZA.

Those seem like such incompatible climates for them. Has any zoo ever had reindeer in a petting zoo or are they too aggressive?

 

[Ituri]

Northwest Trek and Minnesota Zoo both have woodland caribou. Most others I’m aware of are domestic reindeer.