Please wait until the lambs and kids are safe
The snow has melted and Yukoners are anxious to hit the trails. After a long, dark, very cold winter we are all excited to stretch our legs and enjoy the warm sunshine. And while we at the Wildlife Viewing Program always want you to be out in nature, it’s important to be doing so respectfully and responsibly.
That means staying off alpine trails from April 1 to June 15.
The first trails to open are the dry south-facing slopes that have absorbed that spring sunshine and have melted out. Many other places are still impassable, so it’s natural that we look to these locations to start our hiking season.
Lambing cliffs
However, these places are also prime spring habitat for sheep and goats who are looking for early green plants after a winter diet of dry grasses. Early plant growth provides them with important nutrients they’ve been missing and helps the ewes (female sheep) and nannies (female goats) be healthy enough to give birth and nurse their young.
In May and June, the females will congregate near steep, rocky slopes known as “lambing cliffs,” to give birth. Though young sheep (lambs) and young goats (kids) can stand within hours of birth, they are extremely vulnerable until they gain the strength to race the rocks. This rugged terrain provides protection from ground predators such as bears, wolves and coyotes who cannot easily traverse the steep cliffs. Overhangs shelter the newborns from aerial predators such as golden eagles.
Life on the edge
Surviving in this niche habitat is a balancing act. On one hand, the steep slopes and rocky cliffs provide safety from predators and little competition with other herbivores. But vegetation is slow to arrive in the alpine and is quickly covered with snow in the short growing season, making food hard to come by. Sheep and goats have adapted to survive in this habitat, but it is still a challenge.
We can help lambs and kids increase their chances of survival by staying away in the spring. When we hike the trails, we scare the animals away from the cliffs and force them into open terrain where they are vulnerable to predation. When they move away they are watching you to ensure you are not a threat, so they spend less time eating. Even if they return to the cliffs after a hiker has passed, they can be disturbed and displaced again by the next group and waste valuable energy needed to give birth and protect their young.
By mid-June, the lambs and kids are strong enough to keep up with their mothers and rejoin the herd as they move up into summer habitat high in the mountains. We can then safely get out hiking through sheep and goat territory to enjoy the spring weather and potentially catch a glimpse of these impressive ungulates from a respectful distance.
Remember that dogs look like predators to sheep and goats and can add significant stress to animals already living on the edge. Literally on the edge. Remember to keep your dogs securely leashed so they cannot run ahead and scare wildlife away from their safe places.
You can learn more about the importance of lambing cliffs by joining the Wildlife Viewing Program on our Mountain Goat interpretive walk in early June. We visit Mount White and hike up the old Atlin Road while scanning the cliffs for little white dots. Then we can set our spotting scopes to watch the kids from a safe distance.
Visit Yukon.ca/wildlife-viewing for event details. And check out yukon.ca/en/wildlife-viewing for some cool, free brochures and booklets.
Call Out Box
Popular trails to avoid until June 15
- Caribou Mountain
- Montana Mountain
- Nares Mountain
- Needle Mountain
- Mount White
- Mount Perkins
- Anglecomb Peak
- Thechàl Dhâl (Sheep Mountain in Kluane)
