Investigating Declines of Caribou and Muskoxen Herds in the Arctic

Caribou and muskoxen herds across the Canadian and Alaskan Arctic are dwindling. Steep population declines, exceeding 50 percent in some herds, have occurred over the course of only a few years. The bacterium Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae was implicated as the cause of widespread die-offs in muskoxen on two large Arctic islands between 2010 and 2013, but has not been investigated in caribou herd die-offs. Researchers will determine the geographical footprint of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae in the Arctic and its relationship to recent significant declines in muskoxen and caribou herds. Understanding the role and impact of this emerging bacterial disease is critical to the health management and conservation of these keystone Arctic species as well as related species that live in different habitats, such as forest-dwelling caribou and moose.