1st Edition

Reindeer and Caribou Health and Disease

Edited By Morten Tryland, Susan Kutz Copyright 2019
    550 Pages 294 Color & 15 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    550 Pages 294 Color & 15 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    550 Pages 294 Color & 15 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    This book is a comprehensive presentation of health and diseases in reindeer and caribou, or just Rangifer, a key Circumarctic species with broad social and ecological value. It is an essential reference for anyone interested in the biology and health of wild or semi-domesticated reindeer and caribou, and is more broadly relevant for those with interests in other species of free-ranging and captive cervids. Beginning with a general introduction to Rangifer as a species, it then focuses on Rangifer "health" as a concept and describes the determinants of health at an individual and population level. Chapters cover a range of topics from nutrition and feeding to stress, non-infectious and infectious diseases, meat hygiene, capture and restraint, diagnosis and treatment of health issues, and finally, potential impacts of climate change on health of Rangifer.



    Reindeer and Caribou: Health and Disease compiles extensive research and experience-based information on issues ranging from drug doses for chemical immobilization, blood chemistry values, and raising an orphaned calf. In addition, it contains hundreds of high quality colour illustrations that contribute to its value as a diagnostic resource for recognizing various parasites, pathogens and signs of disease, both in live and dead animals. Each chapter is followed by a comprehensive list of references and a list of contact information for all the contributors, identifying world experts in the different areas of health for this circumpolar and fascinating species. This book is compulsory reading and an indispensable resource for anyone dealing with health in reindeer and caribou, including veterinarians, wildlife biologists and managers, reindeer herders/game ranchers, zoological husbandry personnel, and students with wildlife health.

    Introduction. Rangifer Health: A Holistic Perspective. Rangifer Diet and Nutritional Needs. Feeding and Associated Health Problems. Non-Infectious Diseases and Trauma. Parasitic Infections and Diseases. Bacterial Infections and Diseases. Viral Infections and Diseases. Prions and Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). The Impact of Infectious Agents on Rangifer Populations. Meat Quality and Meat Hygiene. Assessment and Treatment of Reindeer Diseases. Haematology and Blood Chemistry Reference Values for Rangifer. Caribou and Reindeer in Parks and Zoos. Restraint and Immobilization. Climate Change: Potential Impacts on Pasture Resources, Health and Diseases of Reindeer and Caribou. 

    Biography

    Dr. Morten Tryland is a professor in veterinary medicine - infection biology. He works in the Arctic Infection Biology research group at UiT – Arctic University of Norway, and also holds a professor-II position at Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI), both institutions located in Tromsø, Norway. After a period of clinical veterinary practice, he transitioned to research and virology and pathogenesis studies in wildlife and semi-domesticated reindeer. He has been a member of Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety (VKM; Panel of biological hazards, 2007-2016), and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA; Panel of biological hazards, 2016-2017), and he is currently the Norwegian editor of the scientific journal Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica. Dr. Tryland has spent most of his research career investigating infectious diseases and zoonoses in arctic wildlife and semi-domesticated reindeer, in close cooperation with Fennoscandian reindeer herders and research groups. He has lead or participated in projects in Alaska, Canada, Iceland and Fennoscandia, including the Svalbard archipelago, and has spent a sabbatical period at the University of Fairbanks, Alaska, USA. His research is focused on how pathogens impact man and wildlife, individuals and populations, of the vulnerable and changing northern ecosystems.



    Dr. Susan Kutz is a Professor in the Department of Ecosystem and Public Health at the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alberta, Canada. She has devoted over two decades of her life to wildlife health research in the Arctic and Subarctic. Her areas of expertise include wildlife parasitology, disease ecology, ecosystem health, arctic ecology, climate change and community-based wildlife health surveillance, with a focus on caribou and muskoxen. She is a member of the CircumArctic Rangifer Monitoring and Assessment Network and led the development and implementation of Rangifer health monitoring protocols during International Polar Year. She initiated and maintains the Rangifer Anatomy Website (2011: www.ucalgary.ca/caribou/index.html), an interactive website providing general and detailed information on caribou and reindeer anatomy, caribou hunting and caribou sampling, and co-produced the Hunter Caribou Training Video (2009), a 52-minute community-engaged training video containing four “chapters” on caribou health sampling, caribou disease and youth engagement. Working with local communities, Dr. Kutz has done extensive research on the impacts of a warming Arctic on the health of declining muskox and caribou populations and the consequent effects on food security in the Arctic.

    **Description**
    This is the first book of its kind that attempts to pull together all current
    (and past) knowledge on reindeer and caribou, including history, farming
    practices, distribution, diseases, and other pertinent information. It is an
    essential book for anyone who works on the Rangifer species or studies people
    who hunt, farm, and subsist with them.


    **Purpose**
    This is an attempt by the authors to pull together information about reindeer
    and caribou from sources all over the world where the species are farmed and
    hunted. This book has been needed for a long time, as there is a dearth of
    information about Rangifer and it has been scattered and many times isolated to
    northern European countries. By using expert contributors from around the
    world, the authors have amassed information in one book where it can be easily accessed.


    **Audience**
    This book is written for all who have contact with Rangifer and its farmers,
    hunters, and the land that they roam. The historical and current impact of
    Rangifer are discussed as are the concerns about health, production, and the
    people who depend on them for their survival. The book meets all the needs of
    the intended audience and is the most credible source of information that I
    have found.


    **Features**
    This book encompasses all aspects that most find pertinent for a tome on one
    specific subject. Covering everything from anesthesia to viral and bacterial
    diseases, there is little that this book does not address. Great attention is
    focused as well on nutrition, parasites, and, perhaps most importantly,
    populations, current population dynamics, predators, and man's impact on the
    species and its range. The pictures are excellent and very useful. Tables and
    graphs are excellent as well.


    **Assessment**
    This book is of excellent quality, extremely useful for clinical practice, and
    just a good read for those interested in cervids, cervid farming and man's
    impact on the natural world. It is a unique book in that it covers Rangifer
    only. To me, that only increases its value, as diluting the information with
    other cervid species would damage the intent.

    -Clifford Fred Shipley, DVM, DACT(University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine)

     

    Reindeer and Caribou: Health and Disease is a valu-able resource for anyone inter-ested in studying or involved in the traditional care and management of these Ran-gifer species. This book con-tains an extensive accumula-tion of facts regarding diet, forages, and environmental and range issues that affect reindeer and caribou. Infor-mation about diseases, meat processing, subspecies evolution, and how the environment and ecosystem affect wild herds is presented in a well-organized manner.

    - Steven Benscheidt, DVM (Nelson Road Veterinary Clinic, Longmont, Colo)