Raising Caribou for an Aleutian Introduction

Abstract

Caribou calves captured in 1958 and 1959' in interior Alaska were moved to Adak Island in the central Aleutians, where they were held about 2 months in semi-domesticity and then released. Bottle-feeding and methods of care are described. Since their release the original 23 have expanded to 83 animals in five reproductive seasons. The herd is now wild in disposition, produces unusually large animals with commensurate antler growth, and is free of the parasites associated with native herds. In 1958, as a result of a request from the National Military Establishment, a decision was reached to introduce Barren-Ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus) to the island of Adak within the Aleutian Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Adak Island, lying at approximately 510 50' N, 176040' W, is about 1,200 miles west-southwest of Anchorage, Alaskaslightly west of midpoint in the Aleutian Islands. It comprises about 290 square miles and is deeply indented with bays and inlets. It is volcanic in origin (Coats 1956:63) with a superficial mantle of light soil and ash. The central portion is mountainous, glacially dissected (Fraser and Snyder 1959:375), and has extensive lowland areas around the perimeter. The temperature at sea level in summer averages 47.8 F; the annual average is 40.6 F. Average annual precipitation, all forms (194361), is 64.71 inches (U. S. Navy Weather Service 1961). Vegetative cover is of the alpine-zone type, the principal plants being grasses, sedges, sphagnum mosses, lichens, and crowberry (Empetrum nigrum). There are no erect shrubs or trees, but an association of prostrate alpine willows (Salix spp.), bog blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum), and crowberry is abundant between 300 and 1,000 feet elevation. Reindeer moss (Cladonia spp.), of particular interest in caribou habitat, is found over all the island south of the U. S. Naval Station. This comprises about 220 square miles and is the area considered available for caribou range. Of this, about 157 square miles lies below 600 feet elevation and is considered the available winter range. Here reindeer moss is one of the dominant plants, reaching 4 inches in height and comprising 80 to 90 percent of a dense vegetative cover on many level or gently sloping areas. The steeper slopes are covered predominantly with grasses, sedges, and other herbaceous plants. Aboriginal populations present when the Caucasoid influence appeared (Bancroft 1886:72) declined until a permanent human population no longer existed immediately before World War II. U. S. troops occupied