Sachs Harbour (Aug 04/03) - Qiviut is such a good insulator that body heat from a live muskox doesn't even register on an infrared camera.

That's what a group of researchers discovered while conducting stress tests on a herd in Sachs Harbour during February and March.

Stress affects meat quality, so researchers were testing to see how stressed muskox get during a typical round-up and harvest, said Al Schaefer, research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada based out of Alberta.

The project is an on-going one between Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the territory and Lacombe Research Institute in Edmonton. The information is being used to determine the best way to create a sustainable muskox industry in the NWT.

The researchers were using an infrared camera to capture an image of how much body heat a muskox releases normally and while being rounded up. The more stressed an animal is the more body heat they release.

"It was primarily introduced for studying these animals to find out what their stress levels might be (during the harvest)," said Schaefer.

Infrared photography is a non-invasive way of measuring their stress for analysis. So is analyzing steroid content in fecal matter and blood samples.

Researchers were surprised to discover that only the nose and horn tips showed signs of heat release. Infrared is so sensitive it picks up one tenth of a degree in temperature change. In the photographs, the muskox bodies were nothing but black outlines, like an inanimate object, which shows how warm the qiviut is, said Schaefer.

The muskox industry

Besides a great coat of fur, researchers also discovered that muskox are easy to handle.

"I've never seen a wild animal act like this. They'll settle down like sheep and eat (when they're herded into pens)," said Schaefer.

They especially like hay, which is brought in by barge from the South. Researchers also put a lot of vitamins and minerals into the hay to keep the herds healthy.

Meat quality, consistency and humane harvesting are all issues Agriculture Canada wants to clear up before muskox can become a big market product.

Schaefer said typical muskox meat is highly marbled, like prime beef.

"It's an excellent product if it can be procured humanely and processed quickly," said Schaefer.

"We hope to find solutions within a couple of years."

Canada has the largest supply of muskox in the world. Baffin and Victoria Islands have between 100,000 and 200,000 animals.

Schaefer said there may be a fall harvest this year in October or November if there are enough residents available to herd. Muskox are harvested by herding them into a burlap-lined pen and picking off the chosen animals.

"This is a real opportunity for the North," said Schaefer. "We hope this comes together and we can make a sustainable industry out of muskox."