USA The Musk Ox Farm

For over 60 years, musk oxen have been kept near Palmer on an extensive area. However, different groups are separated from each other by fences, e.g. the mother animals with calves from the bulls. Some bulls are also separated from each other. This is a non-profit project. It is financed by entrance fees for guided tours of the pastures and the sale of the animals' undercoat and other souvenirs. The only ‘product’ of these ice-age mammals is their wool, called qiviut, which is ‘harvested’ once a year. Some of it is collected from the willows, some is combed from the fur. It is the finest wool in the world, stronger and warmer than sheep's wool and softer than cashmere wool.