Heavy calves survive
Heavy calves survive
Preliminary results from Swedish University of Agriculture Sciences (SLU) by researcher Birgitta Åhman show there is a relationship between female reindeer condition, the weight of calves and calf survival. “This can help the herders in their choice of which reindeer should remain in the herd,” she says.
“Our tests confirm that the condition of female reindeer is relevant to what their calf weighs and also the calf survival. We see that calves that will be back in the fall are those that are larger in the summer,” says researcher Birgitta Åhman at SLU. ”
“We look at the reindeer’s condition and how it varies over the year and between years, and then we try to link it to management, to pasture conditions and possible disruption.”
Reindeer herders write journals to Birgitta Åhman who then sees how reindeer herding is done, when they have been to different areas, how pasture conditions are and what routes they moved. The studied reindeer are individually marked.
Birgitta Åhman says that her research can have significant benefits for herders.
“Among other things, they can choose which ones to remain in the herd. Reindeer weighing under a certain weight in the year is not so productive.”
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