Behaviour Associated with Mortality and Stress in Maternal-Filial Pairs of Barren-Ground Caribou

During June and July 1970 observations on the maternal-filial bond in barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) from the Kaminuriak population were made on the calving ground and summer range in the central Keewatin, Northwest Territories.Information on the persistence of maternal or filial attraction was obtained from five live cows with live calves, four live cows with dead calves, one dead cow and a live calf, and two dead cows with dead calves.The barren-ground caribou's practice of synchronized calving, followed within days by rapid movement from the calving ground, in large postcalving aggregations, demands a _ strong maternal-filial bond.A strong bond minimizes the possibility of permanent separation in large postcalving groups at a time when the calf needs frequent nourishment and the care of its dam.