Overwinter survival of orphan caribou, Rangifer tarandus, calves

Abstract

Eight orphan calves from the Porcupine Caribou Herd were radio-collared in September and November of 1987. Subsequent tracking revealed that five of the eight survived to the next calving period (June 1988). This compared with 94 of 120 non-orphan calves surviving over a similar time period although in different years (1983-1985). Survival of orphans was not significantly different from survival of non-orphans. The results of this study have implications for managers assessing the impact of harvesting productive females in the fall.