The first calf of the year, born April 5, frolics in the snow under her mother's watchful eye.
Spring arrived at the Fairbanks Experiment Farm April 5 with the birth of the first reindeer calf of the year.
The female calf weighing in at 18 pounds was a bit of a surprise to Reindeer Research Program staff, as they weren't sure about the mother's pregnancy. Her weight didn't meet the requirements for putting her in a harem for bull visitation, but apparently she had already met the requirements prior to that.
Erin Carr, RRP technician, had noticed the mother had a bit of a belly bulge so the birth wasn't a complete shock.
At least 30 more calves are expected between now and the end of May.
Children are encouraged to help name the calves. The animals will not receive names until they are weaned from their mothers later in the summer; until then they are referred to by the numbers on their ear tags.
No comments:
Post a Comment