About this project

Healthy caribou and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus spp.) are vital to communities and indigenous cultures throughout the Arctic. Many northerners continue to depend on caribou and reindeer for food and as a focus for cultural and economic activities. Wild caribou and reindeer are also keystone species in the circumpolar north and are critical for the maintenance of healthy northern ecosystems.

The Rangifer Anatomy Project (RAP) grew out of a need for better resources to enhance Rangifer health monitoring, to promote responsible hunting, and to facilitate knowledge exchange across generations among Rangifer users including northern community members, wildlife managers, scientists, and educators. RAP was initiated at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary in December 2007 and has since grown into a much larger collaboration in the Rangifer world.

The images and information that are provided here are a result of hundreds of hours of work of many dedicated individuals - from hunters and elders to scientists and IT specialists. The actual webpage development is the product of the hard work and dedication of a few people, but could never have happened without the acceptance, patience and cooperation of a great many. In particular we would like to thank the communities of Fort Good Hope and Lutsel'ke who welcomed us on their community hunts and tolerated our many unusual requests.

Fort Good Hope Community Members

Susan Kutz Principal Investigator. Associate Professor of Ecosystem and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Calgary

Ryan Brook Post-Doctoral Fellow UCVM 2007-2010, Assistant Professor of Animal and Poultry Science, Indigenous Land Management Institute, University of Saskatchewan (2010-present)

Jason Anderson, Associate Professor of Veterinary Anatomy in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary.

Christoph Muelling Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary.

Peter Flood, Professor Emeritus, Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan.

Robert McCorkell Senior Instructor, Game Farm and Wildlife, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary.

Jesse Invik, Website Designer, Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary.

Dr. Mani Lejeune, Wildlife Parasitologist, Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre.

Jayninn Yue, Former summer student and artist, Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary.

Alex O'Neill, Volunteer computer puzzle programmer and general computer whiz.