Some mysterious photos are circulating across the North Slope and they are quite the humdingers.
But let me begin by saying two things.
The message that accompanied the photos in the email was short:
"Check this out...the caribou was found frozen in place by DEC personnel on a site inspection on the North Slope. That is some cold weather....temps were down in the -40s F wind chills to -70 to -80.
When I googled Kuparuk, I found this map...
All around the village, caribou chip away at packed snow with their hooves and graze on last year's honey-colored grass buried beneath. I've seen areas where small groups have bedded down on the tundra, the warmth of their bodies melting snow a foot deep or more. I think it would be difficult for a lone caribou to survive for long during the coldest, darkest nights of winter.
On the other hand, in the first photo, there is a white patch on the caribou's left hind leg that looks like a chunk of packed snow. It's hard to imagine how that could become fused to an animal's fur without some prolonged contact with the ground. Still, that could be a remnant of snow from another, less challenging, day.
It's hard to know just what to think.
It's a mystery.
1. I received these photos in an email. I don't know who took the photos, the circumstances involved, or the date on which they were taken.
2. My only purpose in sharing them is to illustrate the harsh reality of extreme cold and the impact on all life inhabiting this region. It is not my intention to trivialize an animal's misery or death.
Unfortunately, every year, a few animals do freeze in the Arctic. However, there is much debate around the community about whether or not this poor caribou froze on the ground and was set upright for the photo or did actually freeze as it stood alone against a frigid wind. According to local hunters, either is possible.
The message that accompanied the photos in the email was short:
"Check this out...the caribou was found frozen in place by DEC personnel on a site inspection on the North Slope. That is some cold weather....temps were down in the -40s F wind chills to -70 to -80.
Caribou froze standing still at -80 wind chill in Kuparuk AK."
When I googled Kuparuk, I found this map...
...and this article about the nasty oil/water spill that occurred there a few months ago. (for those who might be interested)
All around the village, caribou chip away at packed snow with their hooves and graze on last year's honey-colored grass buried beneath. I've seen areas where small groups have bedded down on the tundra, the warmth of their bodies melting snow a foot deep or more. I think it would be difficult for a lone caribou to survive for long during the coldest, darkest nights of winter.
In my opinion, the legs are positioned oddly for an animal who died on the ground. And caribou hooves are large, unlike the narrower hooves of a deer. The snow seems to be hugging the legs very closely. If someone had picked it up and "planted" it in the snow, it seems like there would be hoof-sized holes around the legs. I don't see that.
On the other hand, in the first photo, there is a white patch on the caribou's left hind leg that looks like a chunk of packed snow. It's hard to imagine how that could become fused to an animal's fur without some prolonged contact with the ground. Still, that could be a remnant of snow from another, less challenging, day.
It's hard to know just what to think.
It's a mystery.
An unfortunate secret only Winter knows...and will probably never tell.
