Muskox

Cody Raney

Cody Raney

Well-Known Member
Does anyone know if Muskox can be kept in states like Pennsylvania or Kentucky? I know they're housed at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, but I wonder if given enough water, shade, and given regular haircuts, could they be kept in Pennsylvania or Kentucky? I know the St. Louis Zoo has Polar Bears, and they do very well there as an Artic Animal.
 
I think there is more to it than Polar Bear = Arctic animal and Muskox = Arctic animal.
One major difference between the way of life of muskoxen and polar bears [for as many there are] is that polar bears are rather aquatic. They are such well insulated animals that they can overheat in the wild, yes even where it's very cold for people... so the water works as a cool refuge. And so it does also in captivity, even in warmer places.
Whereas, muskoxen do not swim usually and do not live on polar ice.
Their original range was limited to parts of north-eastern Canada and eastern Greenland, though they have been able to survive as south as areas of central Norway... by latitude it corresponds to a part of Canada which is mostly uninhabited [think Yellowknife] though it also corresponds to a good smattering of fellow Scandinavian nations Finland and Sweden. Whereas... Pennsylvania's latitude is similar to that of Spain, the Balearic Islands, Italy, the Balkans, the Caucases... the places where Europeans go to enjoy sunny climes and indulge in hedonism. These areas are rather warm and dry. Kentucky whereas has a latitude similar to Syria, northern Tunisia, and Malta - which are all sunny places though with some level of precipitation. [Kentucky's currently at 30+ degrees right now... how do you think a muskox will do in that clime!]

Whereas where muskoxen live in the wild, climes are rather cold. And there is usually a decent difference between the warmest and coldest temperatures of the day. A typical day this time of year in Nunavut's capital, Iqaluit, has a high of 12 degrees C [or 54 F] and a low of 7 degrees C [or 44 F]. And things are mostly similar in Greenland and other Canadian settlements in muskox-country. Admittedly Oslo and Yellowknife are rather warmer... but then they are the southern extent of the muskox' range. So alas, there is almost nowhere in the United States with a clime required for the proper husbandry of the muskox. An unfortunate reality... with a silver lining.

If you have a US passport then it is still possible to indulge in the joys of muskox without having to leave the country. Alaska is, as you may have guessed, the one state with a similar latitude to the areas they are historically native to. And with the proper climate, multiple zoos in Alaska do maintain muskoxen; and there are also dedicated farms in Alaska which breed muskox. That is to say, the zoo-managers in the warmer states have learnt better than to maintain this animal which would be climatically inappropriate... it only makes them look like the Ultima Thule and the muskoxen are having Nunavut!
 
I've heard a lot about muskox not doing well at all in warmer temperatures yet in Europe there does seem to be a few zoos who keep them in areas which get significantly warmer than the Arctic in summer. Does anyone know generally how well the European muskox population is doing?
 
Fallax said:
I've heard a lot about muskox not doing well at all in warmer temperatures yet in Europe there does seem to be a few zoos who keep them in areas which get significantly warmer than the Arctic in summer. Does anyone know generally how well the European muskox population is doing?
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I think they have them in zoos in the Netherlands and Czech Republic.
 
upload_2025-7-6_14-23-32.png
here is a map of the current musk ox holders according to ZTL. Minnesota and Highland are shown in blue for good measure.

I recall looking into Minnesota… the release about the death of the last animals stated that a while back they stopped breeding musk oxen because of unspecified ‘changes’ they saw as a result of warmer and more humid weather. And from there the last two animals which remained - both female - eventually grew old and were euthanised. So not so much a case that they euthanised healthy musk oxen that headlines might imply…

Though I do find interesting that where many places in Europe have warmer weather than even Minnesota, musk oxen there are kept with little incident. But then I see that many European zoos keep musk oxen in sort of forested enclosures.. or at least those with trees around them… which might help with the heat somehow. Maybe Minnesota should have tried that as well
 

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Setting aside the reasons discussed above, there is always the possibility a zoo in a less suitable climate could choose to build a massive climate-controlled barn with indoor viewing... but not only would the cost of investment would be exorbitantly high for a lesser-known species, but the appearance of keeping a large mammal indoors year round would be extraordinarily controversial even if it were completely justified, driving the plausibility down even further...
 
For what it's worth, Tacoma (where Point Defiance is located) is forecast to be 86F/30C tomorrow. With several days in the 80's in the extended forecast. That said, they do not typically have extended periods of such heat and temperatures do drop quite a bit lower at night, and the zoo is close to the ocean so they get some moderation. Sometimes a zoo is purely lucky in that their microclimate works for a species.
 
dillotest0 said:
Though I do find interesting that where many places in Europe have warmer weather than even Minnesota, musk oxen there are kept with little incident. But then I see that many European zoos keep musk oxen in sort of forested enclosures.. or at least those with trees around them… which might help with the heat somehow.
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Also, iirc, I had read somewhere on this site that it's not so much the heat (though you certainly wouldn't have a herd in southern Spain), but the humidity that causes many problems for musk-oxen. Thus the European population is being currently shifted towards Central and Northern Europe.
 
I've seen Musk Ox at 16 zoos in my lifetime:

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Muskox – Late 1970s (I was a youngster)
2- Point Defiance Zoo (USA) – Muskox – 2005
3- Oregon Zoo (USA) – Muskox – 2005
4- Denver Zoo (USA) – Muskox – 2006
5- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – Muskox – 2006
6- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – Muskox – 2008
7- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Muskox – 2008
8- Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) – Muskox – 2009
9- Hemker Park & Zoo (USA) – Muskox – 2014
10- Assiniboine Park Zoo (Canada) – Muskox – 2018
11- GaiaZOO (Netherlands) – Muskox – 2019
12- Cologne Zoo (Germany) – Muskox – 2019
13- Krefeld Zoo (Germany) – Muskox – 2019
14- Berlin Tierpark (Germany) – Muskox – 2019
15- Scandinavian Wildlife Park (Denmark) – Muskox – 2022
16- Copenhagen Zoo (Denmark) – Muskox – 2022

It's kind of shocking to think that, outside of Alaska, only Point Defiance Zoo has Musk Ox these days in the USA. Oregon Zoo phased them out when their Alaska Tundra exhibit was converted into an African themed Predators of the Serengeti complex. Minnesota Zoo had animals that struggled in the peak summer months, as global warming progressed over the years. It's a fascinating fact that Minnesota had Musk Ox from opening day (1978) all the way until 2021, produced well over 60 calves, but the heat and humidity was too much for the animals in the summer. Point Defiance Zoo is right on the water and they seem to be doing okay with the species, with cool breezes being the norm at that particular zoo.

Greater Vancouver Zoo had at least 7 Musk Ox in 2010 and now they are all gone. GaiaZOO in the Netherlands had Musk Ox when I was there in 2019, but announced that due to the heat and humidity the zoo would phase out the species and they were replaced by Reindeer. I don't think that Cologne even has Musk Ox these days, meaning that over half the zoos on my list no longer maintain the species. Adding Musk Ox to a zoo in Pennsylvania or Kentucky would probably be a big mistake.
 
I recall a while ago Pt Defiance had reindeer as well... apparently relatively few zoos in the US do and now I can see why better. That being much of the US is rather too warm to host reindeer [from what I understand... though there are some in Texas]
I have also seen pictures of the reindeer Pt Defiance used to have... I recall I noted how at times their antlers had rather weird shapes and growths... I'm wondering how they were maintained at the zoo... they must have had some 'neutered' animals which could have complicated things. Wonder why they went out of them?
 
I would love to see Highland Wildlife Park get the species again but doubtful it's possible right now with the restrictions on importing hoofstock from the EU
 
Seeing one last year in Safari Niagara was a highlight of my trip. I almost missed it, but I circled back around another time and was lucky:
full
 
dillotest0 said:
That being much of the US is rather too warm to host reindeer [from what I understand... though there are some in Texas]
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And Arizona, as well as San Diego Zoo keeping them until their last one passed away awhile ago. Reindeer are fairly commonly held privately, mostly across the northern half of the lower 48 but there's a good few outliers to that as well. Remember too that the Reindeer naturally exists much further south than Musk Ox, still clinging on in northern Idaho/Montana and present on the north shore of Lake Superior and in New Brunswick.
 
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