Monday, April 5, 2010

Wildlife

I've had two run ins with wildlife in the last couple of days. On Saturday the musk-ox herd was visible from the village - just a mile or so away up the hill. The hunting season was over so three of us decided to have a walk up the hill in order to get as close as we could. It was a nice day for a bit of a hike - about 5 degrees with no wind. Even before we got going the herd had moved further away. Throughout the hike they kept moving further and further up the hill. Twice when we were very close to them we spoke too loudly and they took off galloping in the opposite direction. We finally got to the top of the hill (two miles or so) where there is a plateau so we could see them even when they moved away from us. They all stared at us as we approached. We stopped about 100 yards away - maybe less. There's only 40 or so in this herd (which is about half of what they were two months ago prior to the hunting season) and they grouped up like they were circling the wagons. We watched each other for a while until it got cold at which point we slid back down the hill to home.

Today was a different type of run in. I was walking from my classroom to the office about 30 minutes into the start of the day when a parent who was carrying a large plastic tub said I should follow him because he had something I've never seen before. When he got to the 4th/5th grade classroom he opened the tub to reveal a baby spotted seal. Apparently it had been inside its mother when she was killed yesterday. It was white with some gray mixed in and had gigantic black eyes. Apparently the fur will turn brown later but for now the white acts as camouflage. The kids were amazed at its huge eyes and they took turns petting it. They were told that the seal would be sent to Seward where it would be raised and then brought back to The Village in about six months to be released (assuming it survives captivity).

I know it's 80 degrees in New England but we've got a baby seal in the school and musk-ox nearby. Take that.

1 comment:

  1. Ok. Yes, I'll take 80 degrees over an ox or seal. Thank you.

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