A mother reindeer welcomes her calf April 22 at the Fairbanks Experiment Farm (photo by PJ Soden)
Thursday’s birth of a ten-pound male reindeer calf at the Fairbanks Experiment Farm made agricultural history – it is the first documented successful pregnancy of a reindeer by artificial insemination using frozen/thawed semen.The calf appeared at 3 p.m. April 22 as UAF Reindeer Research Program herdsman Rob Aikman worked nearby. He noticed the mother, a 2 1/2-year old named Lightning, was having difficulty and went to assist. As he tugged on the calf he noticed its heart was beating but it was not breathing. After Aikman performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation the calf was fine.
On Sept. 24, 2009 seven females were artificially inseminated with frozen semen shipped from Canada. Once in Fairbanks, it was thawed and Dr. Stan Bychawski, a veterinarian from Saskatchewan, performed the necessary technique. Six pregnancies did not take.
Dr. Stan Bychawski (in blue coveralls) and Janice Rowell inject frozen/thawed semen into a female reindeer Sept. 24, 2009.
The Reindeer Research Program is dedicated to the study of reindeer: researching meat science, range management, and animal health. The applied science is then shared with reindeer producers.
“We are absolutely excited,” Shipka said. “Dr. Janice Rowell (SNRAS assistant professor) and I have been taking steps to get here and we really appreciate the assistance of the Reindeer Research Program. This is just the beginning.”
Further reading:
Reindeer calf's birth is a scientific breakthrough for University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, April 24, 2010, by Jeff Richardson
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