The use and abuse of dogs on Scott's and Amundsen's South Pole expeditions
In the century since Roald Amundsen and Robert F. Scott led the first and second expeditions to reach theSouth Pole, commentators have frequently passed judgement on the different means of transport that the two explorersemployed. In hindsight, and since he won, they have consistently praised Amunds...
| Published in: | Polar Record |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge Univ Press
2008
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journals.cambridge.org/ https://doi.org/10.1017/S0032247408007493 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/54202 |
| Summary: | In the century since Roald Amundsen and Robert F. Scott led the first and second expeditions to reach theSouth Pole, commentators have frequently passed judgement on the different means of transport that the two explorersemployed. In hindsight, and since he won, they have consistently praised Amundsen for using dogs exclusively andcriticised Scott for not doing the same. Surprisingly, however, almost no attention has been given to the experience ofAmundsens dogs, whose extreme suffering seems to have vanished into a collective blind spot. Here, with the aim ofrestoring balance to one part of the vexed historiography of the two explorers, that record is set straight. Amundsenstroubled and contradictory attitude towards his animals is also explored and common misconceptions about Scottsviews on the use of dogs for transport are confuted. |
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