A field study of management stress in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L)

• Published in: Rangifer
• Main Authors: C. Rehbinder, L-E. Edqvist, K. Lundström, F. Villafane
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Septentrio Academic Publishing 1982
• Subjects: reindeer; management and handling stress; myopathy; abomasal haemorrhage; blood constituents; Animal culture; SF1-1100; Slaughter; Rangifer; Rangifer tarandus; ren
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.7557/2.2.2.404; https://doaj.org/article/a371689ae4e446b2863f7b535ff65ec5

The impact of stress was studied in semidomesticated reindeer subjected to various herding and handling methods. In herded and handled animals, stress lesions were found, such as abomasal haemorrhage, muscular and myocardial degeneration and marked changes in blood constituents. The degree of change was dependent of the magnitude of stress the animal had been exposed to. Manual handling and restraint was found to be one of the major stress factors. There were evident indications of a cumulative effect of repeated stress events. The use of motor vehicles (helicopter and snow-scooter), for herding and transporting the animals, was found to be an important stress factor. It is concluded that various herding and handling methods studied in the present investigation led to varying degrees of deleterious effects on the health of the animals and a poorer meatquality from slaughtered animals. Hence herding should be undertaken as carefully as possible, the time taken for manual handling should be minimized, and the corrals be so constructed as to cause a minimum of disturbance, capture and restraint. Transportation should be undertaken very cautiously with as little manual handling as possible during loading and unloading. To obtain a good meat quality, animals to be slaughtered should be subjected to a minimum of handling, i.e. slaughter should take place as quickly as possible. Transportation of live animals to slaughterhouses and the keeping of animals in corrals, pens or crates whilst awaiting slaughter will result in a lowered meat quality and should therefore be avoided. En fåltstudie av stress hos ren i samband med olika hanteringsformer. Abstract in Swedish / Sammanfatning: Betydelsen av stress hos ren studerades i hjordar i vilka olika typer av samlings- och hanteringsmetoder anvandes. I samtliga hjordar som utsatts for olika former av drivning forelag hos slaktdjur skador betingade av stress i form av magblodningar, muskelsonderfall och forandringar i blodbilden. De funna skadorna och forandringarna var ...