First reindeer calf arrives at Experiment Farm

Darrell Blodgett, left, and George Aguiar prepare to weigh the first calf of spring on Tuesday. The six-year-old mother watches anxiously throughout the procedure.

It's a sure sign of spring when the first reindeer calf arrives at the Fairbanks Experiment Farm. That happened in the early hours of April 5.

The male calf was discovered about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday by UAF Reindeer Research Program researcher George Aguiar while he was doing a routine calf check. "He looked healthy and he was already cleaned up," Aguiar reported.

He and Darrell Blodgett of RRP returned to the field Tuesday afternoon to clean the calf's navel, give it an ear tag and weigh it. The little fellow came in at 7.2 kilograms (nearly 16 pounds).

The calf joins 73 other reindeer at the farm. As many as 20 more calves are possibly expected this spring. (It is not always apparent which animals are pregnant.)

Children are encouraged to help name the calves. Several names have already been suggested for 2011. The calves will not receive names until they are weaned from their mothers later in the summer; until then they are referred to by the number on the ear tag.