 Caribou Catalyst |
October 18, 2008Arcticulates ®Focusing on Alaska's BeautyAuthor: K. FieldsCaribou CatalystThe Caribou is a large animal that thrives in Alaska and is a major food source (one of my favorites) in the native villages and for many other Alaskan residents. The scientific name is: Rangifer tarandus. Caribou which is pronounced Care-a-boo, are part of the deer family. Male Caribou known as "bulls" can grow to be 7 to 8 feet tall, and can weigh close to 700 pounds. The male has a white mane on his chest. Wild Alaska Caribou
The male and female both have antlers that grow towards the front and are shed once a year; fully grown antlers can have up to a four foot wide span. They use their antlers to fend off predators, dig in the snow like shovels for food, and the bulls use them against each other during rutting season. The female Caribou known as cows, mate with the bulls in September and October, and usually give birth to one baby called a calf. They always give birth year after year in the same calving grounds they were born at during the months of May and June. One amazing fact about the calves: In order to keep up with the migrating herds they are able to run when they are a little over an hour old. Grazing Male (bull) Caribou
Caribou have thick heavy coats made up of hollow strands of fur, which insulate them against the cold and also causes them to be more buoyant in the water of the many lakes they swim across during their constant migrations. They have very big wide hooves that give them a better grip on the rocky shore lines and in the deep snows and ice in the winter. This summer, near a couple of remote Native village here in Alaska, there were several (the reported count is varied) dozen Caribou that were killed and left to rot during the hunting season. It is very unusual for something like this to happen. I can personally attest that the people that I know, who are from that area, are quite amazing with how they use the whole animal for their various needs and I have never known them to be a wasteful people. Caribou Posing for Photographer
It has been said that when the Elders who live in the villages near the incident, heard about this wanton waste, from the investigating State Troopers, that everyone became very quiet. I can’t even imagine the heartache the village Elders are going through thinking that someone from their villages may have done this wasteful thing. Because as I may have mentioned before, these villages are remotely located far, far away from the resources that we have in the bigger cities in Alaska, and they depend on Caribou as a food staple that prevents the people from starving during the extremely long and harsh winters. Shed Caribou Antler Frames Denali Mountain
In fact... I am quite sure that this incident will be carefully scrutinized by all the Elders in all the villages in Alaska and things will be done to prevent this from happening again. Because hunting and salvaging pretty much every part of the animal is their way of living and surviving. Regardless of what some may think... this wasteful catastrophe is not a small thing to them or anyone else that depends on the Moose, Caribou, and Buffalo hunting season to fill their freezers and pantries with precious food for the winter. Later... K Fields See also: Moose Marauders!
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