The last Huskies Of Antarctica

>> YOUR LINK HERE: ___ http://youtube.com/watch?v=XAV9CcDvGcc

Australia set up its first permanent research base in Antarctica in 1954 and Huskies were a vital part of the program from the very beginning. These hard working and loyal dogs were primarily used to pull sledges. When attached to a harness huskies are able to haul 50-90 kilograms each. Huskies were also a valued source of companionship for the people working in the isolated and lonely conditions of the Antarctic bases. • Stories abound of the dog’s ability to detect crevasses or thin sea-ice, and to navigate. • In 1991 Australia signed the Madrid Protocol which bans all non-indigenous species (except humans) in Antarctica. This meant that the Huskies could no longer remain in Antarctica. • This story from ABC’s Quantum program was shot in the summer of 1991 when the Mawson expeditioners were coming to terms with the approaching end of the husky-era. It contains the last ABC footage of Australia’s husky teams in action. • Update • In 1992 and 1993 the dogs at Mawson were returned to Australia and quarantined in a purpose-built enclosure at the Antarctic Division headquarters in Kingston, Tasmania. • Dogs over six years old were pensioned off and adopted by Australian families, while the younger dogs were flown to Minnesota in the United States, where they joined the dog teams at the Ely Outward Bound School. • The last of the Mawson huskies brought to Australia died in 2001, but their bloodline continues in the wilds of North America • (C) Australian Broadcasting Corporation • http://abc.net.au/science

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