Abstract: In the 1970s, mean lichen biomass ranged by the earmark districts (comprising of 2-9 adjacent herding associations) between 54 kg and 380 kg DM per ha correlating negatively with animal density per lichen ranges (range 1.5 - 14.3 ind. per km2). Biomasses were far below economic carrying capacity of lichen ranges (900 kg DM per ha). The condition of lichen ranges was poorest in the southern half of the area where alternative food to reindeer lichens (Deschampsia flexuosa, arboreal lichens and supplementary feeding) was available. In 1980-86, recruitment (calves per 100 females) was 33% higher than in the 1970's, on an average (65 vs. 49), despite a 90% increase in animal numbers between 1970 and 1986; recruitment has not been dependent on the condition of lichen ranges. The increase in production has been some higher than expected on the basis of animal numbers. The reasons for the increasing trends in animal numbers, recruitment and production remains some unclear, but they may include favorable winter conditions, supplementary feeding, medical treatment against parasites and proper harvesting policy.

Abstract: Arctic ungulates usually neither freeze nor starve to death despite the rigours of winter. Physiological adaptations enable them to survive and reproduce despite long periods of intense cold and potential undernutrition. Heat conservation is achieved by excellent insulation combined with nasal heat exchange. Seasonal variation in fasting metabolic rate has been reported in several temperate and sub-arctic species of ungulates and seems to occur in muskoxen. Surprisingly, there is no evidence for this in reindeer. Both reindeer and caribou normally maintain low levels of locomotor activity in winter. Light foot loads are important for reducing energy expenditure while walking over snow. The significance and control of selective cooling of the brain during hard exercise (e.g. escape from predators) is discussed. Like other cervids, reindeer and caribou display a pronounced seasonal cycle of appetite and growth which seems to have an intrinsic basis. This has two consequences. First, the animals evidently survive perfectly well despite enduring negative energy balance for long periods. Second, loss of weight in winter is not necessarily evidence of undernutrition. The main role of fat reserves, especially in males, may be to enhance reproductive success. The principal role of fat reserves in winter appears to be to provide a supplement to, rather than a substitute for, poor quality winter forage. Fat also provides an insurance against death during periods of acute starvation.

Abstract: In 11 male reindeer, all esposed to transportation stress, signs of conjunctivitis and later on ulcerative and necrotizing lesions of the mucosa of the nostrils and mouth were recorded. Blood and secretions from the nose were sampled. Antibodies to bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1) were detected in 2 animals. No animal had antibodies to bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV). Virus isolation was negative. The sampling was repeated 2 weeks later and complemented with biopsies from the mouth lesions, fixed in formalin. At this occasion 3 animals were seropositive to BHV-1 and in biopsies from 2 of these intranuclear herpesvirus-like particles were found by means of electron microscopy. Four animals, 3 of them seropositive, were treated with cortison during 8 days. The size of the ulcers in the mouth increased in all animals. A herpesvirus was isolated from 3 of them at 10 different occasions. The ultrastructural investigation of the virus suspension demonstrated the presence of typical herpesvirus particles. On day 11 all 4 animals suffered from a severe diarrhoea and anorexia. On day 12 one animal died and on day 13 post challenge with cortison two additional animals died. The remaining animal was slaughtered on day 13. Bacteriological investigation revealed growth of Fusobacterium necrophorum from the spleen and oral wounds of all 4 animals. The animals were obviously subjected to an infection with a herpesvirus colsely related to BHV-1. Virus could be liberated by cortison treatment. It is possible that infections with the found herpesvirus, and the lesions caused by it, may be the background to earlier recorded severe outbreaks of necrobacillosis of the alimentary tract in reindeer herds.

Abstract: The general mechanism and biological effects of stress are dealt with. Investigations performed on semidomesticated reindeer concerning the stress response under different herding and management conditions are presented and discussed. The findings indicate that: Reindeer are susceptible to management stress and that their degree of tameness plays an important role in the development of stress lesions such as muscular and myocardial degeneration and abomasal haemorrhages, etc. The animals are not favoured by rests between events of stress exposure as the effects produced tend to be cumulative. Depletion of muscular glycogen stores, increased catabolism of muscular protein, muscular degeneration and increased blood-urea levels can not be excluded as a cause of an altered and bad taste of the meat, i.e. a bad meat quality. Thus prolonged and repeated manual handling and transportation of live animals should be avoided. The use of helicopters or other motor vehicles must be correlated to the tameness of the animals and to environmental conditions. Stress due to incorrect management methods may, by means of stress induced lesions, severly affect the productivity of reindeer.

Abstract: Two 8-month reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus ) and a 1-month-old Hereford-Holstein calf ( Bos taurus ) were inoculated intranasally with the Singer (cytopathogenic) strain of bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) virus. Clinical signs in reindeer included loose stools containing blood and mucus, and transient laminitis or coronitis. Signs in the calf were limited to bloody mucus in the stool and lesions in the nasal mucosa. Antibody titers to BVD virus in the reindeer were intermittent, and titers in the calf persisted from days 14 to 63 post-inoculation (PI). Viremia was detected on PI day 4 in one reindeer, days 3-7 in the other, and days 2-7 in the calf. Bovine viral diarrhea virus was isolated from the lung of the calf at necropsy (PI day 63).

Abstract: During recent years, soil scarification has become a standard procedure for improving seed beds after logging. Around 57 000 ha were treated, primarily through harrowing and ploughing, in the counties of Vâsterbotten and Norbotten during 1985. The positive effects of scarification, from a forestry point of view, are improved access to plant nutrients, raised soil temperatures and reduces surface moisture. The aim of the present study was to describe long-term changes in the ground vegetation following scarification. Harrowing affects 45-55% of the plant cover while ploughing affects 65-90%. 10 years after ploughing and harrowing about 20% of the surface is still without vegetation. Real long-term effects remain in dispute. It has been claimed that ploughing, at least, may lead to irreversible changes.

Abstract: The dromedary camel (Camel dromedarius) is extremely well adapted to life in hot and arid lands. In terms of physiological adaptation to heat and water deprivation it surpasses by far every other large animal of which data have been collected. None of the adaptive mechanisms to cope with the environmental stresses are unique to the Arabian camel, but the efficiency of its adaptation is superior. At high ambient temperatures the camels adapt to the scarcity of water by reducing their faecal, urinary and evaporative water losses. During dehydration, the kidneys reduce water losses both by decreasing the glomerual filtration rate and by increasing the tubular reabsorption of water. Also their ability of regulating their body temperature from 34.5-40.7 °C conserves a lot of water, when most needed.

Abstract: The properties of three different feeds were compared when offered to reindeer calves as single feeds after a starvation period of the 48 h. The feeds were lichen and two pelleted commercial reindeer feeds, RF-71 and RF-80. The two latter differed in concentration of readily digestible carbohydrates (high in RF-71) and in the inclusion of seaweed meal in RF-80. Seven calves were offered the three diets in a latin square design. Measurements involved feed intake and rumen concentrations of volatile fatty acids, ammonia and pH during a five day period after the end of the starvation period. Feeding RF-80 gave rise to higher feed intakes and more rapid normalisation of rumen VFA and ammonia concentration than the other pelleted feed. Rumen pH reached a minimum of 5.4 in animals fed RF-71, while the average minimum pH during the observation period was 6.1-6.2 when RF-80 was given. Inappetance for 1-2 days after refeeding occurred only with RF-71. RF-80 has now replaced RF-71 as the commercial reindeer feed in Norway. Fordoyelsesforsok med et for utviklet til overgangsforing av sveltende rein. Abstract in Norwegian / Sammendrag: En har sammenlignet egenskapene til tre forskjellige fortyper gitt til reinkalver som eneste for etter en sveltperiode pa 48 timer. Fortypene var reinlav og to pelletterte, kommersielle reinfor: RF-71 og RF-80. De siste to adskilte seg fra hverandre i konsentrasjonen av lettfordoyelige karbohydrater (hoyest i RF-71) og i innblanding av tangmel i RF-80. Syv reinkalver ble gitt de tre dietter i «latin square» forsoksmonster. Malingene omfattet: forinntak, konsentrasjon i vominnhold av flyktige fettsyrer (VFA) og ammonium samt verdier av pfi gjennom en fem-dagers periode etter avsluttet sveltperiode. Foring med RF-80 okte forinntaket og forarsaket en raskere normalisering av VFA- og ammoniumkonsentrasjonene enn foring med RF-71. pfi nadde et minimum pa 5,4 hos dyr som fikk RF-71, mens gjennomsnittlig verdi av pH gjennom observasjonsperioden var 6,1-6,2 nar det ble gitt RF-80. Apetittloshet i 1-2 dager etter gjenopptatt foring inntraff bare ved bruk av RF-71. RF-80 har na erstattet RF-71 som kommersielt for til rein i Norge.

Abstract: After the Chernobyl accident the sampling and measuring program of the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety was intensified both for surveillance and research purposes. The deposition pattern of radionuclides was more complicated than from the global fallout after the nuclear weapons tests. The radioactive deposition was very unevenly distributed in Lapland, as also in the rest of Finland. Fortunately, the amounts of deposition in Lapland were only about one-tenth of the corresponding amount of deposition in southern Finland. In 1986-87 the mean concentration of Cs-137 in lichens and in reindeer meat increased to about the same level as in 1972-73 or to about 30 per cent of the maximum levels found in 1964-65 after the nuclear weapons tests. The activity concentrations in reindeer tissues vary according to season. In winter, reindeer eat considerable amounts of lichens with high radiocesium concentrations. In summer, lichens are replaced by other forage such as leaves from trees, green plants, etc. The ratio of Cs-137 concentration in reindeer meat between summer and winter is about 0.2. The mean concentration of Cs-137 in meat for consumption from the slaughtering period 1986-87 was 720 Bq/kg fresh weight. After that time concentrations started decreasing since no new fallout was deposited.

Abstract: An attempt was made to assess the level of heavy metal transfer from forage plants to reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L.) in an area in northern Lapland affected from dust from an open pit copper mine. Botanical analyses of rumen contents from reindeer provided information about the main plant species in the diet. Representative plant material was collected from sample plots within an 8 km radius from the central part of the mine and from a reference area situated about 200 km upwind of the mining site. The following plant species were analysed: Bryoria jremontii, Br. juscescens, Cladina rangiferina, Equisetum fluviatile, Descbampsiaflexuosa, Eriopborum vaginatum, Salix glauca, Salix pbylicifolia, Betula nana, and Vaccini-um myrtillus. The greatest difference between metal concentrations in the plants collected from dust contaminated area and from the reference area was found in lichens. Copper is the main metallic component of the ore and was found in higher concentrations in lichens coming from the area around the mine than in lichens from the reference area. Smaller differences were found in vascular plants. Dust particles, remaining on outer surfaces after snow smelt contributed to a limited extent to the metal contents. Species—specific accumulation of metals was observed in some plants. The uptake of lead and cadmium in some vascular plants was somewhat higher in the reference area compared with plants growing in the perifery of the mining center, probably due to the metal concentrations in the bedrock. Organ material (liver and kidney) was collected from reindeer in both areas. No noticable effect on metal concentrations in the liver of the reindeer were found. Although the lead, cadmium and copper concentrations were higher in the organs collected from animals in the reference area than in those from the mining area, the levels were still below the concentrations regarded as harmful for the animals from toxicological point of view. The material collected during this study would also lend itself to research into the trace element nutrition of the reindeer.

Abstract: Laboratory electrostimulated C. trompe (Modeer) females forcefully expelled (sprayed) larvae for 5-20 cm. The watery spray consisted of about 20 tiny droplets containing two to several larvae. Crawling first-instar larvae exhibited negative geotactic and phototropic responses; they were subject to rapid desiccation and became immobile as the tiny droplets dried within a few seconds. When 5-50 larvae from dissectedfemales were dropped in physiological saline onto different areas of the muzzle of restrained reindeer, only larvae placed deep within the nostrils and on the lips crawled out-of-sight down the nostril passage or into the mouth. Drops of larvae placed elsewhere quickly desiccated and the larvae became immobile. Larvae deposited by wild females onto a COz-baited reindeer model with the muzzle, lips and nostrils coated with insect trapping adhesive all were stuck only along the dorsal lip below the philtrum. All experimental evidence supports a natural per os mode of invasion.

Abstract: Warble fly larvae (Oedemagena tarandi) occurred in 97-100% of barren-ground caribou (R.t. groen-landicus) sampled in March from the Beverly herd. In December, they occurred in 98% of males and 75% of females. Larvae numbers increased up to several-fold from December to March. Within age classes, males generally were more heavily infected than females. Annual differences were small. Larvae occurred in 14 and 26% of two populations of Peary caribou (Rangifer tarandus pearyi) on the Canadian Arctic Islands. In them, incidences of larvae were unrelated to sex or age. Greater than average numbers of larvae in barren-ground caribou sometimes were associated with females in relatively poor condition and therefore less fecund. These results are discussed in relation to current hypotheses of the factors that affect warble infections.

Abstract: D u r i n g the reindeer calf gatherings in June and Ju ly 1990, rectal faecal samples were collected f rom 494 reindeer calves at 6 locations in F inn i sh Lapland. The samples were analyzed according to a modified McMaster method w i t h a detection level of 40 epg (eggs per gram) and, when the sample size was sufficient, also for nematode larvae using the Baermann method. The parasite eggs and larvae were identified according to their morphological characteristics. Samples w i t h coccidial oocysts were incubated in a 2% potassium dichromate solut ion to sporulate the oocysts for identification. T y p i c a l t r ichostrongyl id eggs (<100/ im in length) were found in 36%, Nematodirus-type eggs (probably most ly Nematodirella longispiculata) i n 25% and coccidial oocysts i n 35% of the samples. The prevalences of the respective parasites at the different reindeer calf gatherings are presented in figures. SODANKYLA POIKAJARVI KOTA-ANTTI KUTUHARJU 1

Abstract: Da strukturerings- og optimaliseringsprosessen innen reindriften skjot fart i Trondelag, - i 1976-77 som folge av reindriftsavtalen -, hadde man felles startgrop med Finnmark, - en kjottproduksjon pa 10-12 kg pr. rein i varflokken. Utviklingen etter 1976-77 har tatt ulike lop. Dette skyldes ikke rovdyr eller andre naturgitte forhold. Det bor derfor vaere mulig a snu trenden innen Finnmark ved i noen grad a folge de strategier og faglige opplegg som har vaert grunnleggende for utviklingen i sor. Klarhet i sor og mangel pa klarhet i nord med hensyn til rammebetingelsene for reindriftsutovelsen (reintall og antall driftsenheter innen distriktene samt hogste reintall pr. driftsenhet) er kanskje den mest fundamentale forskjell mellom omradene.

Abstract: The Chernobyl accident had a great impact on the semidomestic reindeer husbandry in central Norway Seasonal differences in habitat and diet resulted in large variations in observed radiocesium concentrations in reindeer after the Chernobyl accident In three areas with high values of cesium-134 and cesium-137 in lichens, the main feed for reindeer in winter, reindeer were sampled every second month to monitor the seasonal variation and the decrease rate of the radioactivity The results are based on measurements of cesium-134 and cesium-137 content in meat and blood and by whole-body monitoring of live animals In 1987 the increase of radiocesium content in reindeer in Vaga were 4x from August to January The mean reductions in radiocesium content from the winter 1986/87 to the winter 1987/88 were 32%, 50% and 43% in the areas of Vaga, Ostre-Namdal and Lom respectively

Abstract: The temperature increase observed in the Northern hemisphere during the first half of this century was also detectable in Quebec; it affected both summer and winter. In northern Quebec, warmer summers stimulated growth and favored range expansion of trees and shurbs. Based on black spruce krummholz height and water level in lakes, the warmer period was also characterized by greater snowfall and deeper snow cover. This period of deep snow coincided with apparent caribou scarcity. Three hypotheses were explored to relate increased temperature with caribou decline: 1) destruction of winter habitat due to high frequency of forest fires, 2) increased energy cost to obtain forage in deep snow and 3) delayed melting of snow on calving grounds that shortened the time to raise calves. The combined effect of the 3 mechanism could explain caribou scarcity, particularly for the Riviere George herd whose calving ground becomes snow free in late June. Ways to test the third hypothesis are proposed.

Abstract: Reindeer calves (n = 632) were slaughtered in November/December (n = 476) or in January (n = 156). Dressed weights and amount of perirenal fat were recorded, and the reproductive organs were collected. A separate group of 130 reindeer calves were weighed at 7 months of age and were followed up with repeated weighings and pregnancy examinations up to 21 months. The onset of puberty and the pregnancy rate were significantly influenced by body weight and the amount of perirenal fat. Approximately 60 g of perirenal fat and 22 kg dressed weight were found at the lower limits for pregnancy. A total of 222 (35%) animals had reached puberty and 126 (20%) were pregnant when examined after slaughter. Animals which conceived during their first autumn showed only a moderate weight gain the following year, and the calf mortality rate in these animals was 47.4%. It was concluded that calf pregnancies are common among the reindeer of Southern Norway and that measures need to be taken to prevent them.

Abstract: The effects of zeolite and bentonite on the accumulation and excretion of radiocaesium (Cs-137) in reindeer were studied in two feeding experiments. Six animals in each experiment were given lichens contaminated with radiocaesium from fallout after the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident. In addition, they were fed pellets containing bentonite (Experiment I) or zeolite (Experiment II). Two animals, controls, in each experiment received no caesium-binder. The activity concentration of radiocaesium in blood was used to evalute the radiocaesium level in the body. Faeces and urine were collected to measue the excration of radiocaesium. The animals in Experiment I were depleted of radiocaesium before the start of the experiment. After three weeks, with an intake of 17 - 18 kBq Cs-137/day, the controls had reached activity concentrations of radiocaesium in blood corresponding to 4 - 4.5 kBq Cs-137/kg in muscle. Reindeer fed 23 or 46 g of bentonite per day stabilized at values below 0.8 kfiq/kg in muscle. In Experiment II, the reindeer started with radiocaesium activity concentrations in blood corresponding to 2 - 4.5 kBq Cs-137/kg in muscle. After four weeks of feeding, with an intake at about 8.5 kBq Cs-137/day, controls had increased their radiocaesium values by an average of 40%. Reindeer receiving 25 or 50 g zeolite per day decreased with 18 and 45%, respectively. Net absorption of radiocaesium from the gastro-intestinal tract was calculated at 50 -70% in animals receiving no caesium-binder. Reindeer fed bentonite had an absorption below 10% while those fed zeolite absorbed around 35%.

Abstract: Two months old moose calves exhibiting neurological signs were videotaped, killed and necropsied The parasite Elaphostrongylus alces (Steen et al 1989) was found epidurally along the meninges of the spinal cord, and in the muscle faciae of the thoracic and lumbar regions Progressive inflammatory processes were present in the epineurium, perineurium and endoneurium Accumulations of inflammatory cells, eosinophils, lymfocytes and macrophages, were found around eggs and larvae and frequently, around regional blood wessels The neurological disturbances in the moose calves were pronounced, with locomotive abnormalities and ataxia They showed weakness in the hindquarters, with uncoordinated and swaying movements of the hind legs In addition, one of the calves was lame on the left forelimb The muscles of the leg were visibly atrophic The lesions produced by E alces at the lumbar nerve roots and in the cauda equina are suggested to be the cause of the clinical signs observed

Abstract: A review presented at the Fifth European Regional Meeting of the Society for Vector Ecology, September 2.-6. 1990, Uppsala, Sweden. The clinical and pathological manifestations as well as some meat hygienic aspects of Megatrypanum trypanosomes, Babesia divergens , Setaria tundrae , Onchocerca tarsicola and Lappnema auris infections in reindeer are reported on. Vektorburna parasiter hos svensk ren. Abstract in Swedish / Sammanfatting: En oversikt presenterad vid «the Fifth European Regional Meeting of the Society for Vector Ecology», September 2.-6. 1990, Uppsala, Sverige. Kliniska och patologiska manifestationer liksom i viss utstrackning livsmedelshygieniska aspekter diskuteras med avseende pa infektioner med Vektorburna parasiter hos svensk ren. trypanosomer, Babesia divergens , Setaria tundrae , Onchocerca tarsicola och Lappnema auris .

Abstract: Safety, efficacy, and tissue residues of ivermectin, a broad spectrum parasiticide, were determined in Alaskan reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus ). Reindeer treated at 5 times and 10 times the standard dose of 200 mcg/kg had no detectable physical or behavioral reactions to ivermectin injected subcutaneously in the mid-cervical area. Ivermectin eliminated essentially 100% of reindeer warble larvae ( Hypoderma ( Oedemagena ) tarandi ). Tissue levels of ivermectin in back fat, injection site, muscle, liver, and kidney collected 3, 10, 17, and 24 days post injection were determined. All tissues levels rapidly declined and were approaching low unmea-surable amounts at the end of the 24 day test period. Ivermectin is a safe effective parasiticide that has been used successfully to threat thousands of reindeer in Alaska.

Abstract: The age-specific fecundity of the Beverly herd of barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) was monitored each winter from 1979-80 through 1986-87. Fecundity in 840 females increased with age from 12% in yearlings to 86% at age 5 years and it did not decline in old (> 11 yr) females. Significant variations occurred among winters and even between two subherds in one winter. Reproductive abnormalities were detected in 2 of 840 females and a probable resorption in 1 of 420 females collected in March. Only about 5% of the fetuses were conceived late, possibly by repeat ovulators. Combining survival and fecundity data yielded age-specific calf production, which indicated that, for example, 54% of calves were born to females 3-6 years old.

Abstract: Hoof and foot measurements and body weights were taken from 60 living semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus L.) (8 female and 13 male calves, 10 young females (age 2 yrs), 9 young males (age 2-3 yrs) and 20 adult hinds) at the Kaamanen Reindeer Research Station during the winter 1988. The outline of the hooves and the feet (hoof + dew claws) from front and hind legs were drawn when pressed down on a hard substrate in a natural position. Measurements were taken also from foot prints of 26 wild forest reindeer (R. t. fennicus Ldnn.) (7 calves, 11 hinds and 8 stags) made on hard snow surfaces in Kuhmo and Salamajarvi national park during 1985-88. Reindeer had bigger hooves and feet on front than on hind legs, and male calves had bigger hooves and feet than female calves. Hoof and foot areas of wild forest reindeer (means 74.6 and 200.3 cm2 for calves, 79.4 and 230.4 cm2 for hinds and 83.6 and 258.6 cm2 for stags) were bigger than those of semi-domesticated reindeer (means, front legs, 60.9 and 165.3 cm2 for calves and 78.9 and 214.1 cm2 for hinds, respectively). There were significant correlations between live weight and hoof areas (r=0.839 and 0.792), between live weight and foot areas in front and hind legs (r = 0.714 and 0.664) and between live weight and foot area when supported by 4 legs (r = 0.726) in semi-domesticated reindeer. Load on ground and foot load in semi-domesticated reindeer when supported by 4 legs were 235 and 85 g/cm2 in calves and 268 and 102 g/cm2 in hinds.

Abstract: A survivorship curve and cohort-specific life table were developed for female barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) sampled from the Beverly herd from 1980 through 1987. Significant (P~ 2.5 years old were attributed to sampling error and real cohort size fluctuations caused by variations in productivity. Pooled data overcame much of that variation and the resultant quadratic-fit curve and life table are believed to yield about average survival/mortality statistics over the 8-year sampling period. Mortality rates increased progressively from 10.6% between age 2 and 3 years to 22.4% between age 10 and 11 years and accelerated thereafter.

Abstract: Reindeer lichens are important in the structure and function of tundra and taiga ecosystems, as exemplified by cover values, biomass, mineral content, and effect on other ecosystem components They are particularly important for winter ecology of reindeer and caribou which largely relay on them Growth measurement is difficult due to the very slow rate and the methods that have been used are not sufficiently documented, precise, or appropriate Use of carbon dioxide exchange models, coupled with models of lichen microclimate and water relations, based on microclimatic data are suggested as alternatives for land managers The assumptions of such models are discussed and the performance of mixed species lichen mats and of the lichen CO2 environment and its effect on lichen CO2 exchange

Abstract: Transport of radiocesium between the body pools and the alimentary tract was studied in 7 reindeer calves Comparisons were made between reindeer receiving the Cs- binder Prussian blue (Ammon-ium-ironhexacyanoferrate) and untreated animals The calves were fed lichens contaminated with 134Cs + 137Cs from the Chernobyl accident (about 10 kBq/day) for 4 weeks Absorption and secretion of radiocesium, Na and K in the alimentary tract were calculated using 51Cr-EDTA as a reference substance Thirteen sections of the alimentary tract were sampled and analysed for radionuclides and chemical composition In 4 animals, feeding with contaminated lichens continued until they were slaughtered, whereas in the 3 others the lichen feeding terminated 4 days before slaughter The activity concentration of Cs nuclides increased 5-17 - fold from duodenum to the distal colon, whereas the concentration of Na decreased and K remained almost constant Radiocesium, Na and K were secreted into the rumen, the omasum and the abomasum, whereas Na and K also were secreted into the proximal small intestine Prussian blue had no effect on Na and K recycling, but the flow of radiocesium from the abomasum to the anus and the fecal excretion increased markedly In the 3 animals where feeding with contaminated lichens was disconutinued 4 days before slaughter, endogenous Cs was continuously recycled between the body pools and the alimentary tract The net exchange of radiocesium between body pools and the alimentary tract was more than 4 times the amount ingested when lichens were fed It is concluded that radiocesium is rapidly recycled between the alimentary tract and the other body pools Cs-binders like ammonium-ironhexacyanoferrate may bind both endogenous Cs and Cs from feed

Abstract: After the C h e r n o b y l accident i n apri l 1986 a large part of the reindeer hearding area i n Sweden was contaminated w i t h radioactive caesium ' 1 3 4 C s and 1 3 7 C s ) . Lichens the main winter forage for reindeer were heavily contaminated. Large intake of lichens i n the winter results in high activity concentrations of radiocaesium in reindeer in contaminated areas. A c t i v i t y concentrations of 1 3 7 C s in reindeer meat f rom five saami villages has been compared to the levels in lichens and to the deposit of 1 3 7 C s per m 2 ground surface in these saami villages (Table 1). The amount of 1 3 7 C s i n reindeer meat (Bq/kg) in the first winter after the C h e r n o b y l accident was approximately at the same level as the amount in dry lichens ( B q / k g dry weight) in June-October 1986 (from Er iksson et al, 1987) an w i t h i n the range of the deposit per m 2 (from map by S G A B , 1986). D u r i n g the late sixties, after the nuclear weapons tests, caribou in Alaska had levels of radiocaesium in muscle about one th i rd of the levels in dry lichens (Luick , 1974). Liden and Gustafsson (1967) reported levels of 1 3 7 C s in reindeer meat in the years 1961-65 to be about 50 % of the content of 1 3 7 C s in one m 2 of l i chen carpet. Factors that influence the biological halflife of radiocaesium in reindeer, e.g. total food intake, metabolic activity and amount of potassium and fibre in the diet, should also affect the level of radiocaesium in the body at a given daily intake. The amount of lichens in the diet w i l l thus be an important factor, since lichens contain on ly small amounts of potassium and protein. Jones et al. (1989) has calculated fractional

Abstract: In winter, barren-ground caribou obtain minerals from ice and soil licks. Between December and April we have seen caribou cratering on the surface of frozen lakes and licking the ice. Ice samples from eight licks on four lakes contained concentrations of calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, chloride and sulphate many times higher than in the surrounding unlicked ice or than would be expected in lake water. Soil licks being used in March and June had high concentrations of calcium, magnesium, sodium phosphorus and potassium. In winter caribou may be seeking supplements of all of the major mineral elements (calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium) at ice and soil licks because lichens, their staple winter diet, are low in minerals and may also reduce the absorption of some minerals.

Abstract: The Porcupine caribou herd was monitored for cesium-137 during 1987 to address human health concerns over potential meat contamination by radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl accident, and to determine lichen intake rates based on body burdens of radiocesium. A total of 36 caribou were collected from northwestern Alaska and the Yukon Territories in March, June, September, and November. Mean radiocesium concentrations in skeletal muscle peaked in March at 133 Bq/kg fresh weight. This value should not prove hazardous to human health. Radiocesium concentrations in skeletal muscle (wet weight) ranged from approximately 22 to 50% of radiocesium concentrations in rumen contents (dry weight), and from approximately 15 to 37% of radiocesium concentrations in feces (dry weight). Radioactivity in feces was significantly correlated with radioactivity in rumen contents. Computer simulations relating lichen intake rates to radiocesium body burdens are presented for 3 scenarios: (1) when seasonal intakes were adjusted to provide the optimum fit between simulated and observed radiocesium body burdens (2) when seasonal intakes were based on empirical data, and (3) when seasonal intakes were adjusted to yield a "conventional" radiocesium curve of a slow fall build-up prior to a late winter plateau.