Hand‐Rearing Wild Caribou Calves for Studies of Nutritional Ecology

• Published in: Zoo Biology
• Main Authors: Parker, Katherine L., Barboza, Perry S.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2012
• Subjects: Animal Science and Zoology; General Medicine; caribou; Alaska
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/zoo.21046; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fzoo.21046; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/zoo.21046

Caribou ( R angifer tarandus ) are considered difficult to hand‐rear in captivity because they are sensitive to the composition and volume of formulated milks. We used a strict feeding schedule and a commercial milk formula designed specifically for caribou to bottle‐feed neonates captured from five wild caribou herds in Alaska. Under a feeding protocol adjusted for age and mass, the growth rates and body mass of 26 hand‐reared caribou calves to weaning were similar to those of three maternally nursed caribou. This protocol allows caretakers to hand‐rear caribou that are as representative as possible of maternally raised neonates. Zoo Biol. 32:163–171, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.