Caribou slaughter shocks Alaskan wildlife officials

[babylonsister]

Caribou slaughter leaves calves stranded

Meat from at least 60 of 120 carcasses wasted by village hunters

By JAMES HALPIN
[e-mail]


Last Modified: July 29th, 2008 01:37 AM

Hunters from the villages of Point Hope and Kivalina are suspected of massacring more than 100 caribou and leaving at least half of them to rot on the tundra earlier this month, according to Alaska Wildlife Troopers.

Investigators arriving at the scene found a total of 120 carcasses scattered along a 40-mile trail about 25 miles east of Point Hope, prompting them to call the killings "by far the worst case of blatant waste" they have ever seen, according to a trooper spokesperson.

The meat from at least 60 animals had been either partially wasted or not even touched, troopers said. Most still had their developing antlers intact. Calves were left stranded, some still trying to suckle milk from the decomposing cows two weeks after the slaughter.

Troopers have so far identified five suspects and think there could be many more, but the investigation has been stymied by an apparent lack of cooperation from village officials, troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said.

more...

http://www.adn.com/wildlife/story/478088.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. Holding the wildlife hostage, threatening to slaughter it all if they can't drill in the ANWR?

That would certainly take care of environmentalists' concern for the native wildlife as a drawback to letting the oil companies take total control, wouldn't it?

[natrat]

2. seems the idea native americans are somehow better is bullshit

[jwirr]

4. But they are usually smart enough not to destroy their own food source.

[SpiralHawk]

5. This is not the way

There are psychopaths in every group. Native peoples are no better or no worse. Your narrow, twisted, prejudiced statement reeks of soul-infested ratshit.

[roguevalley]

14. This hurts my soul.

[WindRiverMan]

20. In my experience

the Alaskan natives can be pretty awful on wildlife, just like the white man, or in some cases even worse. I have personally seen natives shoot thirty caribou to "feed the sled dogs" which were definatley not sled dogs, and were uneeded since they owned five snow machines. I have seen them kill a seal and then left it to rot on the back porch. I knew of a young man who killed a small grizzly by shooting it well over fifteen times with a .22 rifle at the local dump. I have also seen the young get permits for a "potlash" to kill a moose, when really it was just an excuse to get roaring drunk and go moose hunting. I have seen them hunt an area to the point where no game remained, then go clamoring to the state or feds for a "land swap". There used to be a general consensus that if you wanted to go hunting in Alaska, never venture within 20 miles of a village because most everything there was dead.


However, there were a ton of slob hunters coming up from the lower 48 and some locally grown as well. Anyone who tells you that the Alaskan Natives are better stewards for their wildlife than anyone else is just blowing smoke. Good and bad in all people.

[jwirr]

3. It is not their lifestyle so I agree with you - someone who wants the

wildlife removed from this area either did this themselves and blamed the natives or paid a few natives to do the job for them.

[Judi Lynn]

6. Absolutely! We really need to know who really did this, too. Don't think they'll admit it. n/t

[babylonsister]

10. Maybe they just like to hunt and didn't think of the consequences.

Could have been a bunch of ignorant kids; it was hunting season.

[jwirr]

12. That is possible but I live in a community with similar views and the

kids out here are taught from a very young age to preserve what we have.

[babylonsister]

13. I'd say you're probably right, I'm sure respect for the land and animals

is taught. This is even more puzzling then. I don't know, other than the thrill of a hunt, what the benefit would be. They left the carcasses to rot, and the townpeople aren't talking. Mystifying all around.

[jwirr]

15. Yes, the rule is very clear: you do not kill anything you do not plan

to eat.

[greendog]

8. I don't think these particular caribou have anything to do with ANWR.

The Porcupine Herd is the one that calves in ANWR. This incident involved the Western Arctic Herd.

[robinlynne]

9. Why? You seem to know the area. Why?

[greendog]

16. I visited the Canadian Arctic a few summers ago.

Here's what I remember:

The Porcupine Herd occupies much of the Northern Mackenzie River Basin in Canada and migrates west (to ANWR) for calving. The Porcupine Herd is a primary food source for the Gwitcha Gwitch’in. Naturally, they're very protective of this herd. They have posters at the airport and around the town of Inuvik making the case for the protection of the herd and against drilling in the wildlife refuge.

The native people of Kaktovik, an Inupiat village in ANWR have traditionally subsisted on the produce of the Beaufort Sea. They aren't as concerned about the caribou herd and tend to favor drilling and it's economic benefits.

There is a conflict between these two groups over drilling.

The recent caribou slaughter took place over a thousand miles to the west of ANWR and involves different people and different caribou.

[robinlynne]

19. Thank-you. It makes me sick. DId you see the photo of the calf standing by its' dead mother?

UGGGGGGGGGGGGH!

[greendog]

22. Yeah. That photo is a heartbreaker.

Interesting fact: The arctic caribou's #1 predator is the common mosquito. The Porcupine Caribou migrate to ANWR for calving because wind and large patches of snow on the ground offer them protection from Mosquitoes.

[WindRiverMan]

21. The Western Arctic Herd

is well over 500,000 animals and is routinely found around the Seward Penninsula. The Central Arctic and Porcupine herds can be found in ANWAR. The Porcupine also can inhabit some of the Yukon Charley area as well.

[greendog]

23. Thanks!

I was going by memory and even as I was writing I knew I was leaving things out. Just too lazy to look it up.

Thanks for filling in the gaps.

[alstephenson]

7. WTF???

[kwolf68]

11. the Human Race just continues to impress

.

[Blue_In_AK]

17. It was reported here

that they suspect teenagers/young men in the area. Bush Alaska's idea of vandalism, I suspect.

[DCKit]

18. I thought this was a thread on the Congressional fact-finding trip.

Why am I thinking that maybe alcohol was involved? It's got the hallmarks of a drunken rampage.

[sourmilk]

24. What a disgusting waste. Absolutely CRIMINAL.

This is puzzling, too. Most Alaska caribou are hunted for meat, pelt, antlers (trophies and antler felt) and penises. Why would someone just leave them to rot?

WTF is up with the "apparent lack of cooperation from village officials," anyway? You would think that they would be just as keen to find the assholes responsible...