After introducing you to King Nanuq, the polar bear, in previous weeks, I now take you to meet Tuktu and Aksaq.
Tuktu, the caribou, holds a strong attraction for Inuit communities and is often their only source of red meat. Tuktu means the animal that appears. Indeed, every time I'm lucky enough to come across one, I'm always surprised. The color of their coats amid the rocks scattered across the Arctic tundra makes them invisible to the untrained eye. Canada's caribou population comprises 3 ecotypes. The forest-dwelling caribou, which is becoming increasingly rare, and the migratory and mountain-dwelling caribou, whose herd is currently under close surveillance. On the Golden Peninsula, these last 2 ecotypes are present depending on location.
The other inhabitant, somewhat unusual in this hostile region, is the tundra black bear, a black bear that has acclimatized well above the tree line, its usual biotope being the forest. Aksaq, as it's known in Northern Quebec, or Adlak if we're in Labrador, exploits all available food resources according to the season. Different varieties of grasses or roots, then birds when nesting, dead bodies, the many berries at the end of summer and, of course, Arctic char when they spawn in glacial rivers. The ecotype of this black bear gives it a slightly larger size when compared to others I've encountered in British Columbia, Alaska or southern Quebec. They can also be found in polar bear areas, but that's another story I hope to tell you one day.
The riches of this region are infinite, and every time I go there, new images delight me. I'm not even talking about all the ones I have in mind and want to inscribe on my memory card. There's very little that hasn't been filmed or photographed by now, but in this little-known region, there are still things to do that haven't been done. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping. In any case, the only way to make the dream come true is to go for it. Stubbornness and perseverance pay off one day...