Musk oxen are adapted Arctic herbivores that survived the last ice age but now face new threats from Arctic warming including rain-on-snow events that lock their food beneath impenetrable ice crusts.
Musk oxen experiencing rain-on-snow lockout events face the welfare crisis of starvation while standing above frozen food. The inability to access vegetation despite it being physically present just centimeters below ice creates an acute starvation welfare emergency for entire herds. Climate change is increasing the frequency of these events beyond historical baselines that musk ox populations were adapted to. Individual animals that starve in winter lockout events suffer prolonged hunger and weakness before death. Addressing musk ox welfare ultimately requires addressing Arctic warming rates.