REPORT OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION 



APPENDIX No. VII 



SUMMARY OF REPORT OF EXPERIMENT IN CONNECTION WITH 

 THE INTRODUCTION OF REINDEER INTO THE NORTH WEST 

 TERRITORIES BY THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR IN 

 1911 (LOCATION OF HERD AT FORT SMITH ON THE SLAVE 

 RIVER). 



Early in summer of 1911 fifty (50) reindeer were purchased from Dr. Grenfell 

 at $51.30 per head. 



Herd consisted of six four-year-old stags, four gelded stags trained as sled deer, 

 forty three to four-year-old breeding does. 



Arrangements made through Department Marine and Fisheries for transporta- 

 tion of animals from St. Anthony, Newfoundland, to Quebec. 



Voyage which should have taken four days was, owing to delays en route, ex- 

 tended to eleven days, during which time four (4) does died. 



On rail journey from Quebec to Athabaska Landing (stock car) four more deer 



died, one of these being a stag. 

 From end of steel by wagon to Landing one doe died, the herd being thus reduced 



as at September 29, 1911, to forty-one head. 



Supply of reindeer moss was taken from Newfoundland, and this giving out at 

 the end of steel and at Landing, green oats were procured. 



At Landing deer were shipped on scows — with remainder of moss and supply 

 of green oats. From report received October 10, 1911, it would appear 

 that great difficulty was experienced in securing moss, and betu^een Fort 

 McMurray and Fort Chipewyan six more deer died, leaving thirty-five. 

 More moss was found about ten miles from Fort Chipewyan, but two more 

 deer died at camp twelve miles from that Fort, reducing the herd to thirty- 

 three. 



At May 15, 1912, the herd had been still further reduced to thirty-one, one sled 

 deer having been drowned and one doe strayed. 



About May 20, 1912, herd was moved to Camp No. 2, on Whitefish lake, about 

 twenty-five miles east of Fort Smith. 



From March, 1912, to May 23, 1912, the Chief Herder complained of trouble 

 with flies, as the deer were liable to scatter, and on his request a fence 

 was erected on the landward side of the promontory on which the camp 

 was situated to prevent the deer scattering in this way. 



On July 10, 1912, the deer were reported to have stampeded owing to the heat 

 and flies, and in November of the same year only twehe had been found, 

 and on January 7, 1913, another was reported strayed (all the bucks and 

 trained sled deer being lost), the herd being now reduced to eleven does. 



On May 29, 1913, the eleven does were brought to Camp No. 3, on the east side 

 of Slave river, half-way between Fort Smith and Smith Landing to a 

 point called Mountain Portage. 



On June 6, 1913, the deer again stampeded on account of flies, and being fenced 

 in on land side, all but three swam the rapids and got away. One was later 

 recovered, and the four (4) does were taken to Fort Smith to a corral at the 

 Indian Agency called Camp No. 4. 



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