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Zoo Attractions

Some dogs who survived the ice lived out their days in the relative comfort of New Zealand zoo enclosures.

Osman in Antarctica. Canterbury Museum 1975.289.400. No known copyright restrictions

Osman’s dog collar. Canterbury Museum 1967.108.1

Collar used by Osman, a sledge dog on Scott's Terra Nova expedition

Osman the Great

Osman led an adventurous life on the Terra Nova expedition. During a storm on the journey south in 1910, a wave swept him overboard and the next wave brought him back. Captain Scott then referred to him as “our best sledge dog”. Osman had another brush with death when a team he was leading fell into a crevasse.

He returned to New Zealand in 1913 and settled with the Charters family in Christchurch. Three years later, he was presented to Wellington Zoo. Newspapers reported the arrival of Osman the Great to the zoo.

Read more about Osman in this blog post.

Taxidermied husky dog Topsy

Topsy. Canterbury Museum 1976.233.1

From Zoo to Museum

Topsy was born in Wellington Zoo on 8 November 1966. Her father was probably Porridge, a dog from the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Like many Antarctic sledge dogs before him, he was given to Wellington Zoo when his expedition returned to New Zealand.

Considered more like a wolf than a dog, sledge dogs were great curiosities for zoo visitors. Topsy died in Wellington on 31 May 1976 and the zoo donated her body to Canterbury Museum. When taxidermied, she was given a snarling expression that fitted the fierce reputation of her breed.

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Canine Companions
Courageous Deeds

Dogs in Antarctica

Tales from the Pack


Meet the canine characters who helped Antarctic heroes like Scott and Shackleton explore the icy continent

Crew of Roald Amundsen's Fram expedition on deck with dogs
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Canine Companions

Dogs in Antarctica weren't just for pulling sledges – they also provided companionship for the humans living on the ice

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Osman the Great, sledge dog on Scott's Terra Nova expedition
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Zoo Attractions

Some dogs who survived the ice lived out their days in the relative comfort of New Zealand zoo enclosures

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Husky dog with parachute harness
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Courageous Deeds

Some dogs were noted for their bravery in the face of Antarctica's freezing temperatures and savage winds

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Husky dog Samson from Shackleton's Endurance expedition in his 'dogloo'
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Hardships

Life was tough for the dogs in Antarctica

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Husky dog Moll as a puppy. Moll worked with Bob Miller on the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition
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Puppies!

Many dogs were born on the ice. The puppies were a welcome distraction for explorers and many grew up to pull sledges themselves

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AHT-dead-dog
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Legacies

Dogs are no longer allowed in Antarctica, but they will always be part of the icy continent's history

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Dog Panky from Admiral Byrd's second Antarctic expedition
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Equipment for the Pack

To work in Antarctica, dogs needed equipment ranging from harnesses to booties

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Vaida
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Dogs on Film

Early video footage of dogs in Antarctica, plus Scott Base dog handlers tell stories from their time on the ice

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Expedition Timeline

A handy guide to the expeditions that took dogs to Antarctica

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This online exhibition is representative of Dogs in Antarctica: Tales from the Pack, a temporary exhibition which ran from 21 September 2018 to 28 April 2019 at Canterbury Museum.

Unless otherwise stated, all content on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial licence.