Canadian Muskoxen Threatened by Emerging Diseases and Climate Change
Muskoxen populations in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago are facing significant threats from emerging diseases and climate change. A novel pathogen, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae Arctic clone, has been linked to widespread muskox mortalities on Victoria and Banks islands since 2009. Additionally, brucellosis, a zoonotic disease, is increasingly affecting muskoxen on Victoria Island and parts of the mainland. These diseases are being monitored through a community-based wildlife health surveillance program involving Inuit hunters, scientists, and government agencies. Muskoxen are crucial for the food security and cultural practices of Inuit communities, and their decline poses a risk to these aspects of life. The muskox population, which had recovered from near extinction in the early 1900s, is now declining again due to these new threats. 
