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The Greenlandic dog sled culture must be preserved from extinction
July 19, 2021
Grants
July 19, 2021
Grants
In the spring of 2021, Greenland Dog Adventure was granted support from NATA, to make study trips between Iceland and Greenland in a cross-cultural exchange. The learning outcomes should be knowhow on caring for dogs in a kennel and on how to use dogs in commercial relations. The intention is to start up a dog kennel that will be run on sustainable principles and were local people will be involved. The dog kennel will be run as at tour company that runs all year round, and where the tourists will participate in the work with the dogs.
The Greenland Dog Adventure project is based on a strong desire to preserve the Greenlandic dog and the Greenlandic dog sled culture from extincion. The Greenland sled dog is in danger of disappearing as it is no longer an important way of transport – as many people use snowmobiles instead. In addition, the global warming has caused the ice to melt, making it impossible for local fishermen and hunters to use their dog sledges as they used to. Therefore, innovation is needed when it comes to how the Greenlandic sled dog should be used in the future.
The people behind Greenland Dog Adventure believe that the project is sustainable and that it can keep alive a culture that goes more than a thousand years back to when the first Inuit’s immigrated to Greenland. The Greenland sled dog is a very special breed and a crucial cultural symbol. The earliest immigrants of the Inuit brought their own dogs all the way from Siberia over Alaska and to Greenland. To make the project financially sustainable the tourism can be of big help – as it also in the future will be possible to experience what it is like to drive a dog sled. In addition there will be a visitor center that is a knowledge center where it will be possible to study the history and nature of the Greenland sled dog as well as a research and helth department. Here students and researchers can participate in the conservation of the Greenland sled dog and ensure the health of the entire Greenland sled dog population. The entire project will thus benefit both locals and tourists.
The project has a website, that is still under construction, but you can try to look it up here
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