Two large caribou herds made up of thousands of caribou were travelling through Iqalugaarjuup Nunanga National Park outside Rankin Inlet on Thursday. This is the second herd to pass through, elders said. - Candace Thomson/NNSL photo |
Caribou just passing through
Spectators watch as caribou herd travels through Iqalugaarjuup Territorial Park
Candace Thomson
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, July 16, 2014
RANKIN INLET
The middle of last week saw two caribou herds numbering thousands of animals crossing through the tundra outside of Rankin Inlet, drawing spectators and hunters alike.
On the evening of July 10, a ridge inside Iqalugaarjuup Nunanga Territorial Park, about a 20-minute drive from Rankin Inlet, was lined with cars and ATVs with people taking photos, watching the migration through binoculars and in some cases hunting the caribou.
Most of those in the park, however, were shooting only with camera lenses.
John Kusugak was there with his wife Margaret, watching through the windshield of his truck and chatting with friends who were also taking in the view.
"Growing up as a young one we never saw that because we didn't have the access we have now but my mom had stories about this," said Kusugak.
"She would tell us stories about living on the land and said that they couldn't get on the land sometimes because of the amount of caribou that were migrating. They ended up on Thomson Island for a couple days to allow the caribou to go through."
Kusugak said he always thought those were the days but now, years after his mother passed away, he's able to enjoy close to the same sight.
"I'm always thinking of mom when I see this, always, always," he said. "And we get to see it now because we have access roads, and Rankin's a real working community and something like this if you don't abuse it and just catch what you need this is so important to us. You don't kill and leave it behind and that kind of thing."
He also explained that this herd is the second group of caribou to pass through the park, and that is why the hunters were taking advantage of the hunting opportunity.
"The elders say the first herd is the weaker herd so you're not getting the best, the second herd is good and there was a herd before this and people were pretty good about not hunting them. There's people that hunt every day and I'm not an everyday hunter but these are things, traditions, that are taught to all of us.
For some, seeing the caribou was a first.
"I've never seen this many of one animal in the same spot before," said Phil MacInnis, one of the spectators. "There's a whole other herd coming in and it's so nice seeing the landscape and the caribou."
MacInnis said he is from Ontario where wildlife is considered to be a raccoon and maybe in some cases a bear or a coyote.
"We've seen a lot of National Geographic stuff and this is a lot cooler than seeing it on TV, being able to see the migration happening," he said.
Jakub Garbarczyk was there with MacInnis and a few of their collegues, and he too said it was better than TV.
"It's really neat seeing caribou as far as the eye can see," Garbarczyk said. "I've seen them in an airplane but to see them alive and not mounted on the wall and out in the open ... it's beautiful."
