Are calving grounds essential for caribou survival?
Yes. Each spring, pregnant female caribou begin long migrations towards their traditional calving grounds. Their instinct to reach these areas is very strong, and enables them to travel through deep snow and storms, and to cross rivers flooding with icebergs to reach the calving grounds at just the right time. Soon after they arrive on the calving grounds, the calves are born. Studies have shown that predators are less abundant on the calving grounds, so the young calves are safer at a time when they are too weak to escape from wolves and bears. The preferred calving grounds also have an abundance of highly nutritious new plant growth* which enables the mother caribou to produce rich milk for their calves. This is very important as it allows the calves to grow rapidly so that they can escape from predators and harassing insects, and keep up with the herd as it migrates to the winter range. In summary, it is the special conditions of the calving grounds which improve the survival of cal
Related Questions
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- Do caribou always return to the same spot on their winter range, just as they always go back to their calving grounds?
- Are calving grounds essential for caribou survival?
