Here's an "only in Alaska" warning you don't hear every day: Stay away from the musk oxen.
That's from Alaska State Troopers, warning Bethel residents to be wary of the prehistoric ungulates that have wandered close to the community of 6,300 people in recent days.
Trooper Spokeswoman Megan Peters said there have been no attacks or charges reported from the massive mammals -- standing about five feet tall and weighing up to 900 pounds -- though the local troopers and police have been receiving numerous calls of people worried others are getting too close to the musk oxen.
"We're trying to stay ahead and hopefully discourage people from being that one in the crowd," Peters said.
Musk oxen near Bethel are a relatively new phenomenon, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game office in Bethel. Only in the last three or four years have the animals started making appearances near the hub of Western Alaska.
Assistant area biologist Patrick Jones said the musk oxen being spotted near town wandered onto an island in the middle of the Kuskokwim River sometime during late spring. When the ice went out, the 24 musk oxen were left stranded on the 20-mile-long, 3- to 5-mile-wide stretch of land.
"They're terrible swimmers," Jones said.
With the river freezing up this week, about 11 of the animals have ventured from the island, moving to the edge of town, and are highly visible from the banks of the river in Bethel.
Jones said most people have been good about staying about away from the musk oxen, taking pictures and just enjoying the sight of the massive, prehistoric-looking creatures. But a few have been a little more brash, driving a little too close to the animals on snowmachines and four-wheelers.
"We're encouraging people to use common sense," Jones said. "If they're getting agitated, back away."
Jones said the Bethel musk oxen aren't the only ones who were stranded on a Kuskokwim island this summer, with another group located near the villages of Kwethluk and Akiachak.
Jones was quick to note that there's a moratorium on hunting the musk ox in the region, though there is hope once the population becomes more stable, hunting will open. The animals have migrated from Nelson Island, about 130 miles west of Bethel, where a herd was introduced in the 1960s.
About 700 musk oxen reside on Nelson Island, Jones said, with about 200 wandering in the Bethel region. In recent years the musk ox have mostly avoided the town of Bethel, circling past the community toward other villages. He said the animals generally walk about 100 miles a year exploring and looking for good places to graze. This year they just happened to end up near Bethel.
Bethel Mayor Joe Klejka said it was pretty cool to see the animals wandering around the riverbank. He said in the two decades he's lived in the community, he's never seen the animals so close to town. While the community hasn't come down in droves to watch the animals, he said he's seen a steady stream of interested residents.
"Everyone is glad to see them," he said.
Klejka also said he's heard from people excited to hunt the animals, though he noted they would be happy to wait. In recent years Bethel has seen more moose coming into town, too, the result of a long moratorium on moose hunting in the region.
"When I came here 22 years ago, there was no moose, but now they are occasionally wandering in," he said. "People are hoping it will be the same way with musk ox."
Here's a list of precautions for viewing musk oxen, from Alaska State Troopers:
• Expect muskox to be stubborn, defensive or protective when approached. Repeatedly approaching animals in a manner which causes them to change their behavior is not only unwise but, considered harassment under Alaska Law.
• Muskox can be aggressive. Cow muskox with calves should be viewed from a distance. Bull muskox can be aggressive during the rut. Give them space to avoid conflict.
• Single animals or smaller groups of animals can be easily agitated and aggressive.
• Dogs are perceived as predators, and muskox will respond accordingly to protect themselves and the herd. Muskox will kill dogs.
• Dogs tied up on a chain at households should be brought inside at night or enclosed in a chain link fence to avoid contact with muskox.
• Muskox should be viewed at a distance and be given a wide space. The recommended minimum distance is 150 feet. Do not box animals in with people, dogs or vehicles.
Contact Suzanna Caldwell at suzanna(at)alaskadispatch.com. Follow her on Twitter @SuzannaCaldwell