Wall color:
|
We spotted four pairs of majestic Cariboo crossing the river just before the sun set behind the mountains. The last light of day highlighted their huge antlers with just a frosting of sunlight. Both male and female Cariboo have antlers. Indigenous peoples of the northern Alaskan communities depend on the Western Arctic herd as both a vital link to a staple source of food, and their cultural heritage. The Western Arctic caribou directly and indirectly impact the entire food web via nutrient cycling - organisms such as bacteria, vegetation and moose can be affected. Twenty years ago, the herd numbered over one-half million. A census in 2022 counted 164,000 animals, the lowest in 40 years.
