Muskox are making their way back to the boreal forest

Muskox are moving into areas that were previously burned by wildfires in the NWT, a northern researcher says.

Christine Dunbar, a master’s student at Wilfrid Laurier University, is looking at the resurgence of the muskox population in Thaidene Nëné, the Indigenous protected area that forms the homeland of the Łutsël K’é Dene. 

The animals haven’t been seen in the boreal forest for more than 100 years, Dunbar said, after being almost wiped out in Canada. They’re starting to come back from the tundra and there have been sightings in northern Alberta, too.

“Muskox are being detected in forested areas that burned around 10 to 15 years ago,” Dunbar said, adding that the new growth in those burn areas offers higher-quality forage and other large mammals, like moose, have exhibited similar behaviour.

Using federal data and camera imagery, Dunbar creates models to predict where muskox might go and also studies where they actually end up. Comparing those results to a burn map of the area, she sees a potential connection.

Being able to predict migration patterns and understand reasons for that movement can also help communities worried about muskox affecting caribou. 

Dunbar has been working with the Łútsël K’é Dene First Nation and says other communities are interested in the research.

“Their population is growing,” Dunbar said of the muskox, “and it’s just pushing other species away.”

Dunbar believes this research will answer not just whether muskox are displacing other animals, but also offer some clues about protecting species experiencing something similar. It’s also good to monitor the muskox long-term, she said, to make better conservation management decisions in the future.

“I’m from the North, too. I was born and raised in Yellowknife. I am Indigenous to the North, so just being able to work with wildlife has been really special to me,” she said.

When asked if she is able to spend time with the animals she studies, Dunbar replied that at this point, most of her work involves running models. 

“I’ve only ever seen muskox once, and it was when I was a summer student many years ago,” she said.

“But hopefully, before I’m done my master’s, I’m able to go back out to the community and just go and look at muskox. That’s all I want to do, is just go look at them.”