The Saga Continues...

3-24-09
The rescued baby is still with us, though just barely. It's is amazing what stress does to newborn animals and also how strong their will to live is.

The baby did fairly well during the morning and was more lively so around 2pm I decided to go check on the momma and also Gotty.

They were still in the same spot but now there was ANOTHER BABY THERE! Gotty, whom I thought was so special to have gone along with Pemma Y had only done so because she had an ulterior motive! We got there just after the birth and knew right away what the plan of action would have to be. My helper and I (my yak partner and all around best friend and husband!) moved into the brush and I grabbed the baby while Gotty and Pemma Y watched. Of course what we didn't think much of at the time--that Pemma Y was also licking off the baby--would play a key role in this little yaks life later on.

We got him back to the house and dried off, warmed up and gave him a bottle of colostrum. He came right to life and was a nice companion for our little Sahalie. We kept him overnight with plans to lure Gotty back up to the barn which we finished partitioning off for our growing maternity ward.

Next morning (Sunday), we found Gotty had come up on her own so we got her into the barn and into one of the makeshift stalls then brought her baby out to her. She had no maternal instincts but was not bent on killing him, which was really good! We watched her for a while then assured that she at least wouldn't stomp him to death we retreated to the house to give her a chance to bond. Unfortunately, we had just fed him 2 hours before so he was plenty full. Several hours later he decided to stand up and look his new surrounding over and then Gotty was sure she didn't want him anywhere near her. We coaxed and encouraged but she didn't change her mind.

It's important to note that last spring during the "Great Alaska Yak Move" Gotty gave birth to her first calf which only lived a day. She and her new calf were to be part of the second trip but when we got back to Fairbanks we found out her little calf had died. While it lived she seemed to be a good mom and we were encouraged that this year she'd get the chance to have another. It was sad that she snuck off this year to give birth (a week earlier than I had expected)in a place where her calf's survival was in jeopardy. It probably didn't help that Pemma Y was on hand and missing her calf when Gotty's was born.

Back in the barn, Gotty was getting more agitated toward the calf so we finally turned her out of the barn. Then my husband got an idea to try this calf with Pemma Y...so, out of the barn we went with the baby. Pemma Y was sure focused on him! She gave a bunch of grunts--positive THIS was her baby. We got her to follow us into the barn and put the baby and her in a stall. Instant bonding. Wow! It worked!! The little guy was happy, Pemma Y was happy, we were happy!

We left them in the barn for a couple days then turned them out with the rest of the herd. The first day she decided she'd go eat on the opposite side of the pasture and left the calf near the barn. I then decided to "sneak" out and capture him. Brought him into the house and gave him a bottle and some loving. We then took him back out to the barn and Pemma came back for him so we put both of them back in the barn for another day. That seemed to make the difference and she never left him again nor he her...

4-22-09
Now, almost a month later he is still happy with his adopted mom, Pemma Y, and we've had the added joy of being able to go out with a random bottle and feed him. He knows his name (Joey) and has personality traits of his "real" mom, Gotty. If there were more cows with calves I have no doubt he'd go around snitching milk like she did as a calf!

Unfortunately, the little heifer calf didn't make it. She kept wasting away and developing more problems. Another surprise birth a week later from a young cow we didn't know was bred also was added to the casualty list. This mom was inexperienced and did not let the little gal nurse. She and the calf didn't show up until the evening feeding time and we suspected this calf was born mid-morning, about 8 hours earlier. She lacked the ability to suck and we just couldn't get nutrients into her in time.

Time keeps marching on and the babies keep coming. The weather has moderated so we don't have the terrible hypothermia concerns that we did early in March. (The coldest March on record in the last 50 years!) The snow has pretty much melted except in the sheltered drifted places and now the mud is drying up quickly.

The count so far is eight calves born with three surviving--two bull calves and our most recent heifer calf. The latest calf being a heifer out of Amyak (aka., Psyco-yak) who we are bottle feeding. She is doing great and will be a great addition to our outreach program. Although, she needs a buddy! We've got about 10 cows left to calve. Two younger cows we are not sure about but since Tonsina was bred I suspect these other two could be also. They are both older than she was.