Troopers investigate mass caribou killings

POINT HOPE: Village official says waste is not typical of lifestyle.

By JAMES HALPIN
jhalpin@adn.com
Published: 10/28/09 4:51 pm



The carcasses of dozens of caribou that had been shot and left to rot in the mountains near Point Hope were discovered this week, according to the town's mayor.

The exact number of dead animals was unclear, but it appeared there were about 40 in the stretch of wilderness between the town and Kivalina to its south, Mayor Steve Oomittuk said.

"This kind of stuff will not be tolerated," he said. "We still live a subsistence way of life and we need to make sure it's protected, and our young people need to understand it."

Alaska Wildlife Troopers approached the town's elders this week and told them of the killings, he said.

Troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen confirmed troopers were investigating but would not discuss the matter further, saying the agency had promised village officials it would keep the case quiet until the investigation was complete to ensure their cooperation.

"This is a sensitive issue up there," Ipsen said. "We promised the community that we would not talk publicly about it."

Jack Schaefer, president of the Native Village of Point Hope, said the animals' deaths were still under investigation and that nobody knew what had happened or who was responsible. He said he was aware of the troopers' arrangement.

"I'm kind of surprised that all of this was done," Schaefer said of a reporter knowing about the kills. "I kind of heard it was supposed to be left out of the public -- by the state troopers themselves. I don't know if it will cause any problems."

Point Hope is a Bush community of about 700 people 330 miles southwest of Barrow. The location is one of the oldest continuously inhabited Inupiat Eskimo areas in the state. It has a long subsistence history, but what was found this week doesn't represent it, Oomittuk said.

"We were taught to respect our animals. We don't like it when something like this happens," he said. "There was a lot that were cut up and the meat was taken, but there were some that only some meat was taken and there were some that hadn't even been touched."

North Slope Borough wildlife biologist Brian Pearson declined to comment, deferring questions instead to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Jim Dau, that agency's Kotzebue-area wildlife biologist, said the caribou likely came from the Western Arctic Caribou Herd, a massive group of 377,000 animals that ranges over nearly a third of the state and is a major food source for villagers.

He had heard rumors of the dead caribou but had recently been in the field on other business and didn't have details. Earlier this month, the herd had come to within 20 or 30 miles of Point Hope as it followed its normal summer pattern, Dau said.

The village was holding a meeting Friday night to discuss the issue, Oomittuk said. He didn't know who was responsible, but he suspected it might be some local teenage hunters and he planned to talk with them about hunting etiquette.

"We have a lot of young people that go out hunting unsupervised," Oomittuk said. "If it's out of Point Hope, we need to take care of it. Hopefully we'll get to the bottom of it and it will never happen again."

This sounds like a rehash of the story from last year. Did this actualy happen a second year in a row?

Bill

Sounds like to same slaughter that happened last year. If so, as far as I know, nobody's been prosecuted as yet. It's created quite a storm up here. Subsistance hunting? Yeah, right. As I recall, the village elders wanted to "punish" the perps themselves. Sure they will.
I gotta gut feeling that it'll eventually be swept under the rug. Hope I'm wrong tho.
Bear in Fairbanks

Kathi:
Here's a link I just found. It's the latest info I've come across. As I mentioned in my last post, I'm not too optimistic that the perps will be prosecuted let alone found guilty & sentenced. Well, maybe they'd get their hands slapped.
Bear in Fairbanks

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/...hunt-for-the-hunters

It looks like this is the same one as last year.
thank goodness.

Bear in Fairbanks,

Thank you for the update information. This article just recently came across WILDLIFEGLOBE.

My husband hunted the Alaska Penninsula in 87 for caribou, 90 for brown bear, and 93 for moose with Gary Larose from Palmer. He told me I had to come up there after he finished his moose hunt. What an incredible State you live in!!!

I just hope justice is done regarding this slaughter.

I hope it,s the one from last year !!! .. They need to work on the one shot one kill strategy instead of the spray and wonder SKS theory ..

The usual double standard of conduct.

From looking at the date it was the one from last year.
What is just as bad is that I heard that the North Slope Borough is paying their attorney fees !!!!
I guess that would make it Gov't sponsored slaughter.

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:
From looking at the date it was the one from last year.
What is just as bad is that I heard that the North Slope Borough is paying their attorney fees !!!!
I guess that would make it Gov't sponsored slaughter.

I heard something about that over @ 24-Hr. Campfire sometime back. I wondered at the time how it was legal to use public money in a legal defense. The legal system already has a procedure for defense of those without the ability to pay.
I still wonder, if it's true, how it's legal. State money SOMEHOW being funnelled into a defense fund? Enquiring minds would like to know.
Bear in Fairbanks

Here's the latest again on the Pt. Hope caribou slaughter. Sure enough, public money was used as I feared. Here's the link.

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska...al/story/991141.html

Bear in Fairbanks

Well, here's the latest on this situation. Yup!! Some guys are copping a plea. I knew all they'd get was a slap on the wrist, after all, everybody's equal, some are more equal than others.

Bear in Fairbanks

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska...a/story/1039180.html