Keeping female reindeer confined in corrals during and after parturition is intended to protect the newborn calf from carnivore predation at a sensitive period of its life. The design of corrals can vary, and adjustments are likely needed to ensure animal welfare during the time of confinement. In a study from North America (Adams et al. 2019), the relative risk of losing caribou calves was lower among penned females both one month (RR = 0.08) and five months (RR = 0.39) after birth, in comparison to free ranging caribou females. In a Swedish study (Tallian et al. 2023) the relative risk of reindeer calf loss was somewhat lower among females that gave birth in calving corrals in comparison to free ranging females (RR = 0.63).
