Salmon shortage prompts aid effort for Alaska dogs

October 4, 2000
Web posted at: 2:55 PM EDT (1855 GMT)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) -- Animal lovers are mobilizing food shipments to help spare canine lives in Alaska after villagers in the Yukon River area said a salmon shortage might force them to kill some of their sled dogs to prevent them from starving.

The sled dogs are traditionally fed salmon, but the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers have had failed salmon runs since 1998. Gov. Tony Knowles declared a disaster in July for the third straight year because of the failed run in the two rivers.

The Anchorage branch of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals launched an aid campaign after the villagers said they might have to kill some of their dogs. The response has been swift and broad, said Ethel Christensen, a director of the organization.

Companies have offered the use of their trucks, citizens from Alaska and the lower 48 U.S. states have pledged food and other help, and some "very sweet" sixth-grade students in Montana are planning a bake sale to raise money for the dogs, she said.

"It revives your faith in humanity," Christensen said.

The SPCA has organized for truckloads of Prince William Sound salmon to go to the Yukon River dogs. In all, the group is sending 54,000 pounds of fish, donated by a Valdez processor, she said.

The fish was sent to Eagle, the only village accessible by road on the upper Yukon River, just before the road is closed for the winter. From there, the salmon will be taken to Fort Yukon and other remote towns, Christensen said.

Other people are organizing independent aid efforts. Phillip Fields, a manager who works along the trans-Alaska pipeline, was using his scheduled time off to collect a truck load of dog food to send to the villages.

Since last Thursday Fields has parked a donated 18-wheeler and a recreational vehicle in the parking lot of a local shopping center. He has been accepting donations of bagged dog food and, during down times, he takes shelter from the October chill in the RV with his two dogs.

Fields, a materials manager for Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., said he was moved to action when he learned of the Yukon River dogs' plight.

"I just can't fathom going out and shooting Trixie in the head," he said, pointing at one of his dogs.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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