Department of Veterinary Medicine & Arctic and Northern Studies Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2141 North Koyukuk Dr., Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA. khueffer@alaska.edu.
A 2016 outbreak of anthrax on the Yamal Peninsula in Siberia that led to the culling of more than two hundred thousand reindeer and killed one human, resulted in significant media interests and in the reporting was often linked to thawing permafrost and ultimately climate change. Here, we review the historic context of anthrax outbreaks in the circumpolar North and explore alternative explanations for the anthrax outbreak in Western Siberia. Further, we propose a convergence model where multiple factors likely contributed to the outbreak of anthrax, including an expanded population and discontinued vaccination.