GROWTH AND VITAL SIGNS OF HAND-RAISED MOOSE CALVES IN ALASKA

Abstract

Moose (Alces alces) have been raised in captivity for research and educational purposes for decades. Past research has focused mostly on milk replacer diets to produce healthy calves, with limited research of vital signs associated with routine health checks of young animals. We hand-raised 20 calves in 4 cohorts (2009, 2012, 2019, 2021) using commercially available milk replacers mixed with water only, and measured vital signs of 11 calves in 2019 and 2021. Growth rate from birth through weaning was 0.98 ± 0.02 kg • d^-1, with maximum growth rate of ~1.3 kg • d^-1 sustained for 6 weeks after weaning was initiated. Heart rate declined with age from 103.5 ± 2.6 beats • min^-1 at 5 days old to 81.6 beats at 80 days old, whereas respiration rate increased from 16.3 ± 2.5 to 36.7 ± 4.4 breaths • min^-1. Respiration rate increased with ambient air temperature from 11.1 ± 2.9 breaths • min^-1 at 9 °C to 45.2 ± 3.2 at 26 °C. Respiration rate was highly variable after 3-week old calves began daily walks in a larger enclosure and ambient air temperature increased towards the summer maxima (July). Mean rectal temperature was 38.5 ± 0.03°C, and declined marginally with increasing vapor pressure and wind speed. Our hand-raising protocol and milk replacer diets produced calf growth rates higher than those reported previously, and similar to dam-raised calves consuming pelleted ration and available grass forage.