Finnish Reindeer Research Articles

Intraherd spacing behaviour of female reindeer: Effects of kinship, age and habituation

Intraherd spacing behaviour was studied in an enclosed pre-calving herd of Finnish semi-domesticated reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus tarandus L.). Weaned female offspring up to 4 years of age usually remained near their mothers. The frequency of association with mothers decreased with increasing age. Half-sisters did not associate frequently with themselves. Habituation influenced spacing: reindeer preferred conspecifics which had been in the same herd with them during the preceding months. After separation, mothers were overtly aggressive towards their yearling calves.

A note on forage solubility and fermentation characteristics in winter and summer feeds of Finnish reindeer

The fiber and nitrogen composition and fermentation and solubility characteristics of a few typical summer browses and a sample of winter lichens were studied. The lichen sample was very high in hemicellulose, but low in acid detergent fiber (ADF). The summer browses were much higher in ADF. Fermentation losses were low for all samples but were lowest for lichens. Solubility losses in boiled rumen fluid were relatively low, but dry matter losses with amylase treatment accounted for over half of the in vitro digestible dry matter of summer browses and eventually all of the dry matter losses from lichens. Nitrogen disappearance from all samples was uniformly high. There appears to be ample reason to pursue similar studies with reindeer forages.

Thermoregulation in reindeer

Thermoregulation was studied in Finnish reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L) on captive and herded individuals during 1977-85. Newborn calves maintained a high rectal temperature (Tre) (+39 to +41°C) even at —23°C by increasing heat production 5- to 6-fold through non-shivering thermogenesis, stimulated by cold-induced noradrenaline (NA). Plasma NA and thyroxine (T4) were high (18 ng/ml and 459 nmol/1) in neonatal reindeer. Sensitivity to exogenous NA was lost during the first 3-4 weeks of life. At +20°C and above, calves increased Tre (ca 1°C), oxygen consumption and heart rate, thereby showing poor heat tolerance. Thermal conductance was low in a cold environment, but rose sharply as ambient temperature (Ta) increased above + 10°C. The Tre of adults (+ 38 to +39°C) was independent of Ta (—28 to +15°C). Coarse (hollow) hair density and length in adults averaged 2000/cm2 and 12 mm on the legs, 1000/cm3 and 30 mm on the abdomen and 1700/cm2 and 30 mm on the back (calves 3200/cm2, 10 mm), respectively. The dependence of skin temperature on the Ta was linear in excised fur samples, but complex in living animals being strongest in the legs. Serum adrenaline correlated with the weight, age and total lipids. Serum NA and dopamine-fi-hydroxylase were highest in spring and decreased by autumn. Serum T4 was highest in summer and lowest in spring.

Genetic variation in Finnish wild and semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)

Genetic variation in Finnish wild and semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)

Finnish reindeer ranges - History, research and aspects of multiple use

Finnish reindeer ranges - History, research and aspects of multiple use

Economic comparison of two methods of supplementary feeding in Finnish reindeer management

The most common methods are (1) supplementary feeding with dry hay (maximally 50 kg per head a season) on natural ranges in mid and late winter, and (2) corral feeding, where the reindeer are fed in small yard-corrals with hay, green silage, lichen, molasses and commercial reindeer feeds for 3-5 months a winter.

Haematological values for the Finnish reindeer.

Red blood cell counts, haemoglobin, packed cell volumes and total and differential leucocyte counts as well as E-MCHC, E-MCH, E-MCV values and the osmotic fragility of erythrocytes are described for the Finnish reindeer. The samples were taken in early autumn from 52 reindeer of varying ages.

A study of nutritional status of Finnish reindeer (Rangifer Tarandus L.) in differents months: I. Composition and volume of the rumen microbiota

The rumen microbiota were studied in free-ranging semi-domestic reindeer in Finnish Lapland under the nutritional conditions obtaining at two different sampling times. Qualitative and quantitative investigations were made of the rumen ciliate fauna and quantitative investigations of the rumen bacterial flora. The volume coefficients for rumen ciliates obtained by Westerling (1970) and that for rumen bacteria obtained by Warner (1962) were used to obtain an indication of the volume of the rumen microbe mass in reindeer. The rumen samples were collected in connection with the round-up and slaughter of reindeer, being taken from 30 animals in December and 29 animals in March. The reindeer slaughtered in December had normal access to food, but those slaughtered in March had grazed on better pastures and received a supplementary feed of hay. The total number of ciliate cells was over six times as high in March as in December, the numbers being 1 182900 and 188 300 per ml rumen contents, respectively. The corresponding total numbers of bacterial cells were 9.65 x 109 in March and 6.65 x 109 in December. The reason for the statistically significantly (P < 0.01) higher numbers in March than in December is probably the better nutritional conditions of the herd slaughtered in March, not the time of the year. The ciliate fauna consisted of 19 different species, although not all the species were found in every sample. The percentage composition of the ciliate fauna did not vary considerably between the two sampling times. The volume of the total microbe mass constituted 8.2% of the rumen contents in March and 1.9 % in December, the average being 5.1 %. The proportion of the ciliate volume in the total microbe mass was clearly higher than that of the bacteria at both sampling times: 7.2 times as high in March and 1.7 times in December, the average being 4.7 times.