ANWR's Index Ratio of number of caribou in the Central Arctic Herd to that of the Porcupine Herd: 1:6 The Porcupine Caribou Herd is the herd that lives on the 1002 Area, the pristine piece of the ANWR that is threatened by oil drilling. The Central Arctic Herd is the herd of Caribou that live around the Prudhoe Bay area--where oil extraction has been in operation for a number of years. When the oil industry and their government lackeys claim that there would be no impact on the caribou from oil drilling, they are generally talking about the success of the Central Arctic herd. In truth, the fact that this particular herd of caribou has continued to flourish is a good thing. But the reason the Central Arctic Herd has done well at all is because they were able to move away from human disturbance. The biologists at the US Fish and Wildlife Service have been documenting both these herds for years, and have found that: "In the case of the Central Arctic herd, there is a greater amount of alternative calving area available for displaced cows to move to because the mountains are much farther from the ocean. The 1002 Area is only one-fifth the size of the area used by the Central Arctic caribou herd, but six times as many caribou use the 1002 Area. In the Arctic Refuge, where the mountains are close to the coast, few alternative areas would be available for displaced cows." sources: -From Potential Impacts of Oil and Gas Development on Refuge Resources To successfully reproduce, female caribou must be able to move freely throughout the 1002 Area to find adequate food resources to build up their fat reserves and milk. This allows them to produce healthy calves. Cows with newborn calves are particularly sensitive, and commonly move as much as 1.5 miles away from human disturbance. This has been well-documented in the vicinity of existing North Slope oil fields. return to index