Working in Alaska with animals is not always pretty. When I was working with reindeer herders in the village of White Mountain, the herder we lived with was a substinence hunter, as is typical in villages throughout the state. We ate lots of Caribou stew, Reindeer burritos, and even Musk Ox. It was all delicious, but it was slightly unnerving to be eating a meal and have the animal it came from staring into the window at you while you eat. Well, that's the reality of a substinence lifestyle!