Huskies were used in
Antarctica for a little under a hundred years.
They were first used for
transport during the Southern Cross expedition
under Carsten Borchgrevink 1898 -1900.
In the early
years, they were the only form of transport other than foot,
as the 20th Century progressed, so more effective and more
reliable mechanized transport became available. For a long
time these motor vehicles were only really trustworthy on
relatively flat, smooth surfaces and even then a gifted
mechanic nearby was often a necessity.
Dog sleds remained until well
into the 1970's as a required transportation solution. They
were much more flexible than motor vehicles available at the
time, considerably
lighter (for travelling across crevassed regions or sea-ice)
and could cope with the broken up / fractured terrain often
encountered in Antarctica better than the early tracked
vehicles.
They were kept, initially as
a back-up for mechanized transport and then later
when not required for this, for
"recreational" purposes. Many generations of Antarctic
personnel on scientific bases regarded their experiences in
Antarctica as being greatly enhanced by the presence of the
dogs and the possibility of sledging trips with them.
In 1991, the fear that
distemper from dogs could spread to seals and the impact they could have on
wildlife if they escaped led to a new clause in the Antarctic
Treaty.
"Dogs
shall not be introduced onto land or ice shelves and dogs currently
in those areas shall be removed by April 1 1994".
The last dogs were removed from Antarctica on Feb 22nd 1994.
All that remains of these most loyal of man's companions in
the most extreme place on earth is their history and
photographs.
If you think about it, as
Amundsen used dog sleds to reach the South Pole and his sled
was being pulled by dogs at the time, dogs even reached the
South Pole momentarily before the first man did!
The pictures shows dog tracks initially
made in soft snow, the dogs paws compressed the snow below the surface.
Then along came an Antarctic blizzard and blew away all the previous
snowfall except where it had been compressed by the dogs paws - leaving
raised prints.
Image copyright Corel corporation.
This Image may not be saved or downloaded and may only be used for
viewing purposes on this website.
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