The Northwest Territories government plans to remove up to 80 per cent of its wolf population with a 20-day aerial cull — a controversial move that echoes a similar program adopted by British Columbia in 2015.

The plan is part of an attempt to save threatened caribou herds in the Bathurst and Bluenose-East regions. One wolf can eat up to 29 caribou a year.

The territorial government worked with the Tłı̨chǫ Government to finalize the plan through a series of community meetings and planning committees, although the Wek’èezhìı Renewable Resources Board (WRRB) — a co-management authority…