Conservation officers say they found snowmobile tracks less than a kilometre away from a herd of 11 caribou during a patrol over the weekend of areas off limits to sledders in the Quesnel Highlands area.
Tracks through caribou habitat near Cameron Ridge was found a couple of days earlier, the B.C. Conservation Service added in an online posting.
"Recreational snowmobiling in closed areas can displace mountain caribou from high-quality winter habitat, threatening an already endangered population," the BCCOS says.
Officers believe the snowmobilers came in from the Barkerville side of Cunningham Pass Road.
Meanwhile, the Valemount RCMP said a patrol of the Chappell Creek snowmobiling area south ot the community least week yielded encouraging results.
"It was encouraging to see that most regions were being respected, with very few tracks (old or new) breaching the marked boundaries," RCMP said in a statement.
Venturing into caribou zones can yield a $575.00 fine under the Wildlife Act. Experts say snowmobile tracks open up areas caribou use to stay away from predators.
Conservation officers are asking anyone who has any information or sees or hears snowmobiles being operated in any closure to contact the service at 1-877-952-7277 or online.
