A concerned caller reported to KSRM that a herd of caribou is frolicking near the Spur Highway just outside of Soldotna and could cause a hazard to traffic.
“It’s a herd of about 15 and the bull’s chasing the girls around. It’s 200 feet from the Kenai Spur Highway, right by the cell tower and Polaris Sports Center where the domed church is, Trinity Christian Center.”
The caller also reported there were cars parked along the road while the occupants took pictures.
Our local caribou herd was reportedly growing in numbers last year according to Alaska Department of Fish and Game Biologist Jeff Selinger.
Selinger: “The lowland caribou herd is the one that people see a lot around here, that’s the one that kind of moves through town between Kenai and Soldotna and moves out behind Sterling in the winter or over towards Brown’s Lake.”
October is typically the beginning of the caribou mating season and the females calve in the spring.