Musk Ox

Musk Ox (aka muskox, musk oxen) populations are recovering in many areas thanks to modern wildlife managment. In many areas they were over-harvested, and even extirpated, but they have been reintroducted and there are now regulated hunting seasons and protections from illegal harvest. For example, musk ox were extirpated from the Seward Peninsula in extreme western Alaska. As a result, animals were reintroduced and the population now thrives. Much like plains bison, musk ox, adapt to and become tolerant of people if they are not harvested. However, a new threat now faces musk ox and other Arctic wildlife, that being climate change. How or whether musk ox can adapt to a warming Arctic is not known. The animals have evolved over millenia to survive in a cold environment.