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.
"In a community that size, it's hard to not know what's going on, but they refused to come forward with that information," Ipsen said. "We wish we had more cooperation from the community, and it's disappointing."
(The calf above is shown trying to suckle milk from its dead mother.)
I have always placed hunters in two separate categories.
The trophy hunters who kill animals so that they can display their heads on the wall to signal other men how manly they are, are ridiculous and pathetic in my eyes.
But for the people who live a subsistence lifestyle where many of their needs are met through hunting, fishing, and trapping I have always felt a sort of grudging admiration.
So this incident is especially troubling as it seems to have been perpetrated by villagers who usually live by a very specific code never to waste any part of the animal and to never kill more then they need to meet their needs. If I had to venture a guess I would assume this was done by the younger villagers and not the true hunters in the area.
But this incident is terribly sad and reflects very badly on a proud and independent people, who have fought valiantly to protect their way of life.
Did authorities have to kill the calves? Were they rescued?
ReplyDeleteDid the oil companies pay for this? I know how much they like wildlife up there.
Thanks for making me cry at work. :\
Sorry Lynne, and I am sorry I don't know the answers to your questions yet. However the calves were probably harvested and not saved. That is SOP up here.
ReplyDeletereally really sad...
ReplyDeleteI've known people who have worked in primarily subsistence areas of the state. They told me that a lot of the whale meat would go to waste after the traditional hunts. This saddens me to no end.
ReplyDeleteAlthough its not PC to say so, according to people I've spoken with (not my first hand knowledge) there's always been a lot of waste in the subsistence caribou hunt - individuals taking more than they can use, carcasses left outdoors, getting 'freezer burned' in the winter and then rotting in the spring; that sort of thing.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this is waste on a completely different scale; no harvesting done, just mindless slaughter. The fact that the village residents are not cooperating with the investigation is unusual and, to me, particularly disturbing.
I'm not a tree hugger, but the photos in the ADN and the one you posted make me viscerally ill; this is waste and cruelty the like of which has not been reported before in this state. Sad, sad, sad.
Actually it is not at all unusual that the villagers would not cooperate with the authorities. Many of these people are very suspicious of outside interference and do not always think the laws apply to them and how they live their lives.
ReplyDeleteAnd if they fear that their young people will have to do jail time you can bet they will demand that they be allowed to handle it internally.
I've usually seen cooperation coming behind the scenes, when the village elders want to get rid of a bad influence; and that could be what will happen here, its really too soon to tell. ADN said they had some suspects.
ReplyDeleteThe dislike of outsiders is strong, but the dislike of disruption of the traditional ways - coupled with the ability of an individual bad influence to have negative effect on his/her peers will usually make the elders opt to preserve the social structure rather than an individual.
I think Point Hope is traditional enough to want to protect their fellows, but not at the cost of the whole village (as opposed to a place like Tyonek, where everyone always seems to be spoiling for a fight).
However it turns out, its a sad situation.
Peace
Jean