ABSTRACT
Non-infectious diseases in Rangifer sp. are, in general, rarely described in scientific literature, as they mainly affect individuals (e.g. malformations) and do not affect or threaten the overall populations. Being free-ranging animals (mainly, or most of the time), caribou and wild or semi-domesticated reindeer are well adapted to their natural habitat, and cases of disease may only be noted during hunter harvest or meat inspection at slaughter. When herds are managed, other risks and diseases appear when herds are in corrals, fed or transported. In this chapter, there is an emphasis on findings in Fennoscandian semi-domesticated reindeer, with an overview of the major causes of death, such as predation and trauma, as well as descriptions of non-infectious diseases affecting Rangifer species, many of which are not commonly documented in the scientific literature.
