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2.2.3 Strategy:
Rely on dogs, reindeer or horses to lead the way to safety
Some of the Koryak respondents, all from Kamchatka, talked about letting domesticated animals lead the way during an extreme weather
event or a disaster. A Koryak woman from Palana said, �Mother told me that
if you get caught in bad weather in tundra, a dog will find a safer place, and
you should lie by its side�.
Another Koryak woman from Ossora explained,
�I only rode in a dog sledge in childhood, when they took us on vacation from
Ilpyr to Anapka and back. We always put on thick clothes: fur boots, fur
trousers and fur cloaks, so even if a blizzard started, we wouldn't get cold.
My father told me if you rode in a dog sledge, you'd better not give orders to
the dogs where to go: they know the way better and always find home or a
shelter�.
A Koryak man from Esso (Kamchatka) also
told about his experience with letting animals lead the way: �And once in
winter we were riding on a reindeer sleigh and escaped an avalanche
miraculously. The old man told me, see the avalanche has started. It�s no use
to try to escape from it as it moves with tremendous speed. You hear a click,
and then rattle and hum. So the only thing he did, he gave the reindeer the
reins, and they carried us out. Just keep the sleigh stable, don�t stop, and
reindeer will take you out. The reindeer ran with incredible speed, and we
turned over on the last bog. And we, children, were usually tied to the sleigh.
My grandfather said afterwards it was an avalanche. Often people stop, drop the
sleigh and start running. A man can�t run faster than reindeer or dogs.� And if
you start steering reindeer, you�d only confuse them. Whip them once, and they
will take you out themselves. They have senses. The same with horses. If you don�t
know the place and lose your way, it�s no use to keep steering yourself.� Give
a horse the reins, and it will take you out. The same with reindeer and dogs�.
However, a Koryak man from Tymlat modified
his trust in reindeers to lead the way: �You can trust, but not always.
Sometimes you can rely on the old reindeer. But everything depends on how you
bring up your reindeer.�