Muskoxen
(Photo: http://www.saskschools.ca/%7Egregory/arctic/Amuskox.html)
Muskoxen
Muskoxen
(Photo: http://www.saskschools.ca/%7Egregory/arctic/Amuskox.html)
The following paragraphs about muskoxen is directly quoted
from Kaktovik Subsistence's work.
"Muskox (Umigmak - Ovibos moschatus) were once widely
distributed across much of the North Slope of Alaska, apparently in scattered
locations, and were hunted by the lnupiat people. Muskox have historically
been particularly vulnerable to hunting, and the demand for meat by crews
of overwintering whaling ships plus the introduction of firearms apparently
led to their extinction in the 19th century.
As part of an effort to reestablish muskox on the North Slope, 50 muskox
were brought from Nunivak Island to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and
released at Barter Island in March and April of 1969. In June 1970, 13 muskox
were released at the Kavik River, about 90 miles southwest of Kaktovik (Jennings
and Burris 1970). These transplants were a cooperative endeavor between the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game
(Burris and McKnight 1973). Kaktovik residents helped with the muskox transplant
at Barter Island. The animals were brought to Barter Island by Alaska National
Guard C-123 aircraft in two loads about a week apart, and were released as
soon as they arrived.
The muskox were shipped in wooden crates. Villagers helped release animals
in the first load at the end of the Barter Island airport runway; they hauled
animals from the second load over to Manning Point ("Drum Island") on sleds
pulled by snowmachines. The weather was cold with blowing snow during both
releases.
Some of the muskox were quite vigorous, while others could barely move because
of the effects of sedation and extreme stress. At least ten muskox died during
and shortly after the transplant. Village resident Daniel Akootchook recalls
two muskox that were in small crates ... they could not stand up. Villagers
tried to get the muskox to stand by lifting their legs and head, but it was
only partially effective. Some people even took food and water to the muskox.
Isaac Akootchook stated, "One big bull was in a small box. He could not even
stand up or move around - just bent over. And when they let him out of the
box he could not stand up straight. He was just stiff." University of Alaska
researchers believe that this was not only a result of being in the small
crates, but also because of capture myopathy, a disease caused by extreme
stress and long periods of not eating. The released muskox scattered; some
even went out on the ice of the Beaufort Sea, but by using snowmachines,
Kaktovik villagers herded the animals back onto land. A few other animals
stayed near the village. Instances of people being "charged" by muskox were
reported during this time.
The hides from dead muskox were kept by the government. The meat was offered
to village people but no one took it because they did not want meat from
animals that had been drugged.Some of the muskox went east into Canada, and
at least one was reported on the south side of the Brooks Range near Arctic
Village. Some of these far-ranging muskox were shot by people unaware of
the reestablishment effort.
A year or two after the transplant a group of Kaktovik people, travelling
inland up the Sadlerochit River, came upon a small muskox calf alone
and starving. They fed it milk from a bottle and took care of it for awhile.
Then they took it back to the nearby muskox herd and left it, but when they
returned later the calf was dead.
The transplant of muskox onto the the North Slope has been a success. At
present three main herds and a total of over 200 muskox inhabit the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge. There has been no open hunting season since the
transplant in 1969; however, in 1982 the Alaska Board of Game approved a
statewide permit drawing (sport hunting season) allowing for five mature
bulls to be taken in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge beginning in March
1983. Kaktovik residents have continued their support of the muskox reestablishment
effort. They maintain a keen interest in the muskox, commonly coming across
them in their travels, and often reporting their sightings to U.S. Fish and
Wildlife and Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists. Animals of the
Sadlerocht herd, in particular, are often encountered by villagers." (Kaktovik
Subsistence, 1982)
Reference:
1. Kaktovik Subsistence. (1982). Land Use Values through
Time in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Area, Jacobson and Wentworth,
US Fish and WIldlife Service, 1982, http://www.kaktovik.com/muskoxen.htm