Tragedy on the Ice
Tragedy struck the Australasian Antarctic Expedition on 14 December 1912. While on a three-man sledging mission, Belgrave Ninnis, his dogs and the sledge disappeared into a deep crevasse, killing all of them. They had been hauling most of the group’s food.
The accident left Douglas Mawson and Xavier Mertz without precious supplies 500 km from their base at Cape Denison. Desperate and starving, the men were forced to kill and eat their six remaining dogs—George, Johnson, Mary, Haldane, Pavlova and Mawson’s favourite dog, Ginger.
Mertz grew ill and suffered from stomach pains, dizziness and delirium. He died from suspected vitamin A poisoning from eating dog liver but Mawson survived the ordeal. Pavlova Island and Ginger Reef near Cape Denison have recently been named in honour of the dogs.