Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, during the Rae Band Council meeting in the early part of October, a report was tabled which raised a very serious matter with respect to diamond prospecting and the Bathurst caribou herd.
Mr. Speaker, a report from an anonymous informant was given to the Rae band office recently which informed us that while this particular individual was working for a diamond prospecting company this past summer he witnessed a number of very disturbing incidents involving helicopters and the Bathurst caribou herd. Mr. Speaker, this individual reported that helicopters were literally all over the barrenland area where the Bathurst caribou herd fed in the summer. Helicopters were up and down and hovering at low heights over the caribou herds day in and day out, all summer long.
Mr. Speaker, the caribou became very spooked and frightened and would run in all directions stumbling, falling and even breaking their legs as they got caught in the rocky areas of the land. Mr. Speaker, my informant reported that many more caribou were seen with broken legs throughout the summer. These animals were unable to keep up with their herd and developed serious infections in their broken legs. Another impact observed, Mr. Speaker, was that these caribou were unable to feed properly since they were being scattered from their feeding grounds by helicopters moving up and down while staking claim.
Mr. Speaker, there has been considerable concern in the region among traditional hunters regarding the lack of fat on the caribou this year. They are very skinny and they have little fat on them this year. The informant indicated that the reason for this could be that they were not properly allowed to feed this past summer because of the disturbances by the helicopters. The greater concern is that due to lack of fat on the herd this year they will be unable to sustain themselves throughout the winter. This could cause a serious impact on the survival of the herd if a massive loss of caribou were to occur.