An investigation has been launched after a recent social media post falsely suggested that a ban on the George River, Mealy Mountain, and Lac Joseph caribou herds had been lifted.

Caribou numbers in Labrador have plummeted in recent years and the herd remains at less than one per cent of numbers recorded just 30 years ago.

Department officials say the recent post, suggesting that authorities have sanctioned the hunt, is false.

The claim has prompted an investigation into the alleged illegal harvest and possession of caribou.