Specimen C 35988 Taxidermy Mount - Husky, (Ursa), 2001, Canis familiaris

Summary

Taxidermy Mount of one of the last huskies used in the Australian Antarctic Territory. Known as Ursa he was born in Antarctica on 15 September 1985. Ursa worked in the dog teams of the Australian Antarctic division hauling equipment for expeditions along the Antarctic coastline. Although occassionaly distracted by wildlife and scent marks from other huskies, he was nevertheless a hard worker.

In 1991 Australia signed the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty which required all dogs to be removed from Antarctica to reduce the impact of introduced species. By this stage Ursa was considered too old to continue working and in December 1993 was sent to Australia for retirement. He spent six years in Melbourne living with his brother Morrie and one of their former carers from Antarctica. In this time Ursa and Morrie appeared at a number of public shows to help raise awareness of the role huskies played in Antarctica. Ursa died in Melbourne on 3 October 2001.