IMPROVED REINDEER HANDLING 



13 



ing, the result is a poor-looking carcass with bloodshot fat, much 

 reddened meat, and the bruises showing as ugly colored blotches. 

 Reindeer at slaughtering must not be allowed to become bruised or 

 excited and the meat thus heated and blotched. Where butchering 

 takes place on a large scale,, this can be prevented by the use of a 

 corral with a chute leading to the slaughterhouse. Shooting the 

 animals on the open range and hauling them in by sled are preferable 

 to roping or crowding in a corral improperly constructed. 



In dressing for shipment, the hide may be left on the carcass or it 

 may be removed and the carcass wrapped in cheesecloth and burlap. 

 If the skin is removed, the fresh carcass should be allowed to cool at 

 a temperature of about 38° F. for 36 to 48 hours and then frozen. 

 If the hide is left on, the animal heat does not leave the body so 

 quickly, and therefore a chilling room should be available to cool the 

 animal as soon after slaughtering as possible, particularly in case of 

 mild weather at the time of butchering. 



Greatest care should be exercised to keep the carcasses clean. The 

 worst trouble that has arisen in handling reindeer meat is spoilage 

 on account of mold. This can be overcome to a large extent by thor- 

 ough cleanliness. Carcasses should be kept free from dirt. The 

 man w^ho does the butchering should handle nothing but the carcass. 

 In fully equipped slaughterhouses, portions of the carcasses may be 

 cleansed with running water and a brush. 



A most important point in the prevention of mold is to keep the 

 frozen carcasses at a uniform temperature, to give the mold no chance 

 to grow. With fluctuating temperatures in the cold-storage room, 

 mold gains rapid headway, and the meat soon spoils. Furthermore, 

 alternate thawing and freezing injures the cells and thereby lowers 

 the quality of the meat. 



MARKETING 



Tlie reindeer of the Eskimos furnish meat and skins for the most 

 part to the owners, but a portion of the surplus is sold in local mining 

 camps or in white settlements. Because of the recent great increase 

 in the numbers of reindeer, however, the surplus can not be taken 

 care of locally, and commercial companies are now in the field for 

 the shipping of meat to the States. The Office of Education of the 

 Department of the Interior, also, on behalf of the Eskimos, has been 

 shipping meat to outside markets. This and other reindeer work 

 formerly handled by that office was assigned, effective November 1, 

 1929, to the Governor of Alaska. Quality of product is one of the 

 most important things to consider in endeavoring to build up a mar- 

 ket, ancl first impressions regarding any new food are strongest. 

 Only the best meat, therefore, properly prepared and handled, should 

 be permitted to reach the market. Spoiled meat must be discarded, 

 and every effort put forth by the reindeer owner and shipper to turn 

 out the best quality of product possible. This can be accomplished 

 only through the adoption of proper methods and a concerted de- 

 termination on the part of all reindeer owners to follow them. 



REDUCING WARBLE AND NOSE FLIES 



Warble and nose-grub infestation in reindeer, it is believed, may be 

 lessened by a general application of the methods described below, in 



