Vladimir Etylin, Sarah Palin, and a dead caribou...

While much has been made of Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s lack of international experience (especially after a poor performance in an interview with CBS’s Katie Couric), it should be noted that what experience she does have, has a reindeer herding connection…

One of the few politicians she actually has met from Russia (Putin’s rearing head notwithstanding), is former Vice Governor of Chukotka, the renowned Vladimir Etylin. Not only was Etylin born into a reindeer herding family on the tundra in Chukotka, he is a trained scientist, politician, and lifetime advocate for the Chukchi people. He is also on the board of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR), the publishers of this blog! Mr. Etylin is currently in the field in Chukotka. When he returns to phone contact we will endeavour to follow this story up! The picture above shows Vladimir Etylin presenting earlier this year at the EALAT Information seminar in Anadyr, Chukotka pointing out the best known dead caribou for many years, lying beside Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

According to the Seattle Times, Etylin invited Governor Palin to Chukotka (in 2007), an offer she has yet to take him up on,

“She seemed very modern and forward-thinking and was open to the idea,”
Yetylin said in a telephone interview. “Absolutely, I think she should
come.” (Seattle Times)

Watch this space….