Reindeer Castration to Help Reindeer Cope with Climate Change
14.06.2010 - Ice & Snow, Flora & Fauna, Human Dimension, Arctic
Rising winter temperatures and the freeze-thaw cycles that result create thick layers of ice on top of snow, preventing reindeer from reaching their food. A solution to this presented at the IPY Oslo Science Conference by Eli Risten Nergrd of Sámi University College and the Norwegian School of Vererinary Science could be the castration of male reindeer. Castrated males, unlike normal males, retain their antlers during the winter, which allows them to dig grazing holes through snow and ice, also giving females and young reindeer the chance to exploit the holes.
However, the success of the operation would depend on the method used for the castration. Reindeer castrated using the modern tong method would have weaker antlers and less muscle than those castrated using the traditional biting technique the Sámi use in Northern Scandinavia. The tong technique cuts the reindeers’ testosterone levels to zero, whereas the traditional technique leaves the animals only with a reduced level of testosterone, leaving them better able to clear ice and snow with their antlers. Moreover, males castrated in the traditional way would have an increased chance of survival over other males since they maintain body weight and condition during the rutting season.
Preliminary results indicate that it may also be possible to castrate the reindeer using a vaccine.
