REINDEER IN ALASKA. 53 



purposes. An improvement which large reindeer owners might 

 profitably undertake would be to provide paddocks or stabling for 

 injured and sick animals. The present policy is to raise the standard 

 of the Alaska herds; therefore, no sickly or undersized animals 

 should be kept, and this applies especially to breeding stock. 



ACCmENTS. 



Accidents are of common occurrence when herds are being handled 

 in the corrals (PI. XXI, Fig. 1). A suggestion which reindeer 

 owners could well follow would be to isolate all the injury cases as 

 soon as they occur to prevent further damage to them from trampling 

 by the other animals. If there is no time to attend to injured rein- 

 deer while handling of the herd is in progress, they should be left by 

 themselves in some inclosure provided for the purpose until such 

 time as they may be properly looked after. In many cases it will be 

 found advisable to slaughter and dress the most seriously injured 

 animals. In other cases, where treatment seems likely to help, the 

 animal might be treated and then turned out with the herd or fed 

 by hand for a few days. Following this simple suggestion would in 

 many cases be found profitable to reindeer owners. Heretofore, 

 diseased or injured animals have been turned out on the range, with- 

 :out any attention, to live or die, as the case may be. 



BROKEN HORNS. 



Fawns frequently break their horns when being roped m the corral, 

 ; especially when they are in the velvet at marking time. These acci- 

 j dents may be eliminated to a great extent by avoidance of over- 

 crowding in the corral and by careful handling. Small wire in- 

 closures are dangerous for fawns when the strands of wire are so far 

 apart that their horns get caught. The older animals also suffer in 

 this regard, and while they may not break their horns, they may be 

 (injured otherwise. Wlien a fawn breaks its horn the pedunculated 

 j portion of attachment to the skull usually breaks with it. The broken 

 jiorn must be removed, together with the piece of skull. Care must 

 be taken not to leave a pocket of skin over the exposed part of the 

 brain where pus will find a lodgment. The skin should be trimmed 

 n such a way that it will just cover the opening. 



Many fawns die as the result of broken horns. At one ronnd-up 

 31 fawns suffered the loss of one or both horns. In this case they 

 were killed and dressed, since the owners had found by experience 

 hat animals usually die as a result of such injury. In another case, 

 )f a total of 550 fawns marked, 73 lost one or both horns. "\^n[ien the 

 lorns break without damaging the skull there is an excellent chance 

 'or recovery, but if the brain is exposed, unless proper surgical 

 nethods are adopted, recovery is doubtful. 



