Specimen C 35989 Taxidermy Mount - Husky, (Morrie), 2001, Canis familiaris

Summary

Taxidermy Mount of one of the last huskies used in the Australian Antarctic Territory. Known as Morrie he was born in Antarctica on 15 September 1985. Morrie worked in the dog teams of the Australian Antarctic division hauling equipment for expeditions along the Antarctic coastline. Morrie was a large dog and one of the hardest working on the station. He was also one of the best at escaping! Although a great favourite with expeditioners, many considered him the ugliest dog in Antarctica, his appearance not helped by losing his ears in fights with other dogs.

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 Morrie 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 Ursa and one of their former carers from Antarctica. In this time Morrie and Ursa appeared at a number of public shows to help raise awareness of the role huskies played in Antarctica. Morrie died in Melbourne on 4 February 2000.