EDMONTON - A university expert on caribou says Ottawa's plan to help the rapidly disappearing species recover leaves the door open to protecting them inside a giant fenced-off area in Alberta's oilsands region.
The idea of a 1,500-square-kilometre habitat pen was studied by an industry group last spring.
The group's report concludes a fence would be technically feasible.
It says it would function as a kind of lifeboat for caribou herds in the region until industry could restore their habitat.
Stan Boutin of the University of Alberta says the idea is being pushed by the Oilsands Leadership Initiative.
The caribou plan released by Environment Canada last Friday says that penning of woodland caribou should be considered.
