Muskoxen of northwestern Alaska : transplant success, dispersal, and current status
Grauvogel CA. 1984. Muskoxen of northwestern Alaska : transplant success, dispersal, and current status. Pages 57-62. In Klein DR, White RG, Keller S. 2213048. University of Alaska. Biological Papers of the University of Alaska. Special Report 4
(Adapted from author's abstract.) Muskoxen were first transplanted to the the northwest coast of Alaska in 1970, with Cape Thompson and the Seward Peninsula each receiving 36 animals. Roughly 24 of the muskoxen from the Cape Thompson transplant and 12 from the Seward Peninsula split into small groups and dispersed widely. They probably contributed little to future growth. On the Seward Peninsula, two separate herds became established in areas 80 km and 115 km from the Feather River release site located 48 km northwest of Nome. A second transplant of 35 muskoxen was made on the Peninsula in 1981; movements of four radio-collared cows indicated that most left the transplant site, with some moving as far as 350 km. Fewer than 10 joined resident herds. A group of 10 to 13 muskoxen from the Cape Thompson transplant established a productive herd 35 km north of the release site. A second transplant was made in 1977 but most of the muskoxen did not join the resident herds. Growth rates of all herds have averaged 16% to 21% per year from 1972 to 1983. The Cape Thompson population was surveyed in 1983 and estimated at 90-100 muskoxen, while that of the Seward Peninsula is estimated at 155-165.
- Type
- Published Report Section
- Authors
- Grauvogel, Carl
- Units
- BELA , CAKR , NOAT
- Keywords
- Aerial Surveys, Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Black Mountain Herd, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Cape Thompson, Distribution, Kukpuk River Herd, Muskoxen, Nuluk River Herd, Ovibos Moschatus, Population, Productivity, Seward Peninsula