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Of all the mammals in the refuge, caribou are at the highest risk from the prospect of oil exploration and developement. The vast 130,000-member herd, which is key to the refuge's web-of-life. is the main food source for a number of arctic predators including grizzlies and people. For thousands of years, caribou have been a staple to the diet and culture of the Gwich'in or "Caribou" people of that region.(Nearly 7,000 people still depend on caribou for food.)
The caibou must keep moving to find adequate food rations. Large herds travel great distances between summer and winter ranges; twice a year they make a 600-800 mile journey between winter grounds located in the north-central Yukon & Alaska- to calving and summer ranges centered at the coastal plain of ANWR. It's an essential trip for the herd-as the coastal plain has a critical role as "maternity ward." It is a safe haven for the 40,000 newcomers, as it is free of large predators that usually stock caribou in the highlands. It is also free of smaller predators such as mosquitos, that are dispelled by the sea-breezes of the plains.
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