BBC applies to Yukon board to film Porcupine Caribou migration

The British Broadcasting Corporation is proposing to film the Porcupine Caribou spring migration later this year and has applied to the Yukon Environmental and Socio Economic Assessment Board for permission.

The BBC wants to follow the spring migration of the herd as the animals head through the Yukon. Filming would occur from March to June 2015. In Yukon it would be focused on the Vuntut and Ivvavik National Parks.

According to a filmmaker application submitted to the Vuntut Gwitchin, the crew want to collar some of the animals and track them using GPS and local knowledge. 

The BBC says new technology is a significant game changer in how it can film wildlife for the production.  

A presentation prepared by the producers says they want to use the high-tech collars, as well as drones and helicopters equipped with cameras that will allow them to monitor individual animals with minimal impact on the herd.

“The latest stabilized camera systems mounted on helicopters that will enable us to film from greater distances and will let us track individual animals as never before,” the BBC’s application reads. “This will give in-situ footage showing exactly what the animals are doing to back up GPS location maps used by the research scientists."

The BBC also says it plans to show viewers how satellite tagging works and what kind of information it reveals, including calving rates and the survival rates of adults and young calves.

The network is calling the project The Great Race — Caribou. It's one of three planned documentaries. The other two will cover the zebra migration between Namibia and Botswana and the elephant migration in Tanzania.

If the project goes ahead the 60-minute show is expected to air in the spring of 2016 in prime time on BBC1. The producers also expect to sell the documentaries to broadcasters around the world.

The proposal is now open to public comments on the YESAB website until Jan. 16.