Plot

This RKO-Pathe short film follows an expedition to study the musk ox in Northern Canada and to safely capture young calves for further study. In the past, the usual way to capture young musk ox was to surround a herd and simply kill all of the full-grown animals. On this expedition, however, they are forbidden to hurt any animals, so they must find a way to trap them, something no one thought could be done. Having captured three calves, they travel to a farm near Burlington, Vermont where the program of domestication begins.—garykmcd

A group of animal researchers and scientists travels to the Canadian Arctic in order to capture some musk ox calves. Their purpose is to study the musk ox with the end goal of domesticating the animal to be able to open up Arctic regions for agriculture, namely musk ox ranching, primarily to harvest their fur, much like that for sheep. They intend to capture the calves without harm to either them or the adult musk ox, which previous to this trip was deemed impossible. Although they do not have a plan on how to accomplish this task, they are able to learn enough about musk ox upon watching the herds they first encounter to find an effective manner to capture calves without harm. The calves they do capture are eventually transported back to the United States - specifically the mountains of Vermont, where climate, terrain and food sources (willow being the musk ox's favorite food) closely mimic that of their natural habitat - for more intensive research.—Huggo

This Wildlife Album series entry was made in co-operation with the Institute of Northern Agricultural Research. An expedition heads to the barren lands of northern Canada to capture musk-ox calves, which will be studied to determine their suitability for domestication and breeding. The capture is accomplished without weapons, and the holding pens are fashioned from local trees. After a sufficient number of animals is captured, they are brought to a farm in Vermont to be studied.—David Glagovsky <dglagovsky@verizon.net>