ABSTRACT
Wherever they occur, reindeer and caribou are ecologically, socially, and economically important. Despite this, wild Rangifer populations are declining globally (Gunn et al., 2016), and many semi-domesticated populations are now suffering from an array of health related issues (see Chapters 6–9). The number of programs seeking to evaluate, understand and safeguard Rangifer health is growing in response to these concerns; however, an operational definition of what precisely constitutes Rangifer “health” is lacking and different criteria are often employed to define or attempt to understand health based on the unique experiences, needs and priorities of different user groups. For example, biologists and ecologists may define Rangifer health in the context of endpoints such as reproductive or survival rates that can be quantified in the field and provide empirical evidence that may be used to inform wildlife management or conservation programs. In contrast, veterinarians may also consider the occurrence, prevalence, and effects of certain infectious diseases or body condition, or the influence of immunity and physiological stress (Stephen, 2014; Patyk et al., 2015). Semi-domesticated reindeer may be monitored and managed more closely than their wild counterparts and seasonal, annual or lifetime production targets such as weight gain, meat quality, calf production or even revenue may be used to define the health of reindeer kept as production animals. Similarly, traditional users of reindeer and caribou, such as indigenous peoples, may define Rangifer health using an array of behavioural, demographic and physical traits, or other factors related to the quality of meat or other products obtained from harvested animals. Although each definition is valuable in its own right, a more holistic and shared understanding of Rangifer health is urgently needed.
