Farming Musk Oxen

       

          As I mentioned in my last post regarding musk oxen, these large mammals were almost extinct in the 1900's as a result of being over hunted. In my research I have found that their numbers have been quite restored since - because of many bans on hunting them in several areas and also because of much effort on the part of musk oxen farming organizations which have worked to restore these ancient creatures. One such farm I have come across during my research is the Musk Oxen Farm in Palmer Alaska. When I came across this worthy organization I was instantly compelled to share it with my readers. The opening page of the farm's website demonstrates their purpose and passion for the arctic mammal;


"The non-profit Musk Ox Farm is dedicated to the domestication of the musk ox, an Ice Age mammal that once roamed the earth alongside saber tooth tigers and woolly mammoths. Known to native Alaskans as “Oomingmak”, which means “The Bearded One”, this once-endangered animal produces an annual harvest of qiviut, the finest wool in the world. We welcome visitors to the farm for a close up experience of these magnificent Paleolithic ruminants with guided tours, engaging exhibits, a gift shop featuring hand-knit qiviut items, and community events throughout the year."


          Besides the services mentioned on the front page the farm also provides a place for musk oxen lovers to support or even "adopt" a musk oxen. One can either join the "Friends of the Musk Oxen" foundation where they can donate any amount to the farm, or for a donation of $100.00 a subscriber can choose a musk oxen from the profiles on the website to be their personal beneficiary. These options provide a way for people to get involved even if they are unable to personally assist the cause by volunteering on the farm or owning musk oxen farm of their own. 
           So whats the point of farming Musk oxen you might ask? Well it seems that they are an extremely valuable resource. The musk oxen wool, since it is able to keep these animals so warm in below freezing temperatures, is apparently eight times warmer than sheep's wool. There is an organization called the Oomingmak  Knitters Coop that is dedicated solely to the knitting and sales of musk ox wool products. Their hides are also very valuable and are made into extremely useful and supple leather. As far as food goes, musk oxen meat is as good or better than cow meat is, "The meat has an appearance similar to prime beef, and a smooth texture similar to beef or buffalo. The taste of muskox surpasses that of other domestic livestock when prepared correctly." Musk oxen milk is also known to be very sweet and delicate with a similar but superior taste to that of domestic cow milk. For these reason it is very easy to see why they are such a precious commodity and why people would be interested in preserving and farming these arctic beasts.
           Although I searched and searched to find some information on owning musk oxen as pets it seems as if my quest was in vain. I found a lot of information on big farms like the one mentioned above that are dedicated to preserving this species but as far as keeping one as a family pet it seems as if this is something yet to be founded. I did, however, find a rather funny article written in a blog by a Canadian fellow where he discussed that the pet industry must be dying down because his book, "The Feeding and Caring of your Pet Musk Oxen" was failing to sell, although I take the whole thing as a bit of a farce.
          So sadly it does appear that, for now at least, the closest one can come to owning their own musk oxen is by adopting one for $100.00 on the Musk Oxen Farm's website, unless of course you were ambitious enough to venture to Alaska and catch one yourself, apparantly once they're in captivity they tame pretty quickly...road trip anyone?

http://www.muskoxfarm.org/
http://www.nunavutmuskox.ca/muskox_meat_products.html

Musk Oxen, a Brief Introduction....

          On a snowy afternoon last winter my cousin and I took a drive up to Trenton New Jersey to take a tour of “The Old Barracks Museum” to fulfill an assignment I had been given in one of my classes that semester. After we had seen our fill of the intriguing structure we figured that we might as well take a look around the Trenton Visitor Center in order to query whether there were any other points of interests we should pursue in the area since we had come so far in such bad weather. As we explored the visitor center several exhibits that sounded mildly interesting were advertised here and there, and since we had no particular place to be we decided to meander through and see what there was to see.

          Upstairs we discovered a fairly interesting exhibit which subject was centered around the climatic changes that have taken place in New Jersey in, oh about the last billion years or so. It had many displays and paintings demonstrating the landscape of New Jersey during the ice age – one of the most fascinating sights in the entire exhibit was an enormous and stalwart stuffed musk oxen that was placed in the center of the room. According to the exhibit musk oxen were likely prominent in New Jersey during this time and that musk oxen bones had been found which were used to prove this. Regardless of whether or not musk oxen had been prevalent in this state at one time or not, this exhibit had gotten me hooked on these adorable fuzzy creatures which I can very easily say now, are my favorite animal! Until this day I had never even heard of musk oxen, so when I went home I was compelled to Google search these adorable creatures and find out some more information about them. It turns out that they are very interesting and gentle animals, although I did not find a huge amount of information, it seems that people who have had the opportunity to see a real musk oxen have become as endeared by them as I have.

            Musk Oxen are large woolly arctic mammals, which surprisingly are more closely related to sheep or goats then they are bovine. They are pack animals and usually live in herds of 10-20 oxen, but herds can sometimes be as large as 70 or more. Both male and female musk oxen have large curved horns, and they have a very thick coat of fur which is capable of keeping them warm in extremely frigid weather. Muskoxen stand 3 feet 11 inches high at the shoulder on average, with females measuring 53 to 78 inches in length, and males 78 to 98 inches. Adults, on average, weigh around 630 pounds however they range anywhere from 397 to 882 pounds. The musk oxens large head and wide set shoulders often make them seem larger than they actually are.

Whether or not musk oxen truly did live in New Jersey thousands (or millions) of years ago or not, it is certain that they no longer live anywhere near this area, nor have they for quite some time. According to my research, in the early 1900's the musk oxen were over hunted and almost disappeared. Musk oxen were hunted for their meat and hides, which are apparently very valuable (more on this in a later post). In 1917 the Canadian government passed a law against killing the musk ox. Today, In Canada more than 85,000 musk oxen live on the mainland and Arctic islands of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. Small herds live in northern Yukon. Musk oxen are also found in Alaska, Greenland, Norway and Russia.

            This is just the tip of the iceberg (hah!) when it comes to musk oxen. They are extremely interesting creatures and there is far more to be said on their relational dynamics, history, modern uses, temperaments, ect. I have found that many people do not even know what musk oxen are, and I’m not very surprised considering a little over a year ago I was no better enlightened – that is why I am writing this blog. I believe that there is much to be learned from this wise and ancient creature.