Meet Maeve, the Zoo’s New Caribou

Over the past weekend, Maeve was transferred to her new residence, the Caribou habitat, within MCZ’s North American area. She was first introduced to Bean through mesh fencing in the yard, and after a promising start, was allowed access to the shared space with him. Bean and Maeve continue to get along well.

Maeve is named after a female Celtic warrior from Irish mythology. She’s still a bit young, but it’s hoped that Maeve will breed with Bean in the next few years.

Caribou and reindeer are the same species of deer. In North America, they’re called caribou if they live in their natural range, and reindeer if they’re domesticated. (In Europe and Asia, both the native and domesticated animals are called reindeer.) Reindeer were domesticated by Arctic people in Europe more than 3,000 years ago. In addition to being a source of food, reindeer were used to pull sleds. This was the inspiration for Santa’s eight flying reindeer in the poem “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.”

Caribou are also the only members of the deer family where both males and females grow antlers. Bean has already shed his antlers for the winter, and Maeve’s short base will shed naturally within the next month or two. (Females often keep their antlers longer in the season than males in order to defend themselves and their calves, which are born in spring.) When Maeve’s develop again later this summer, her full antlers will be straighter and less pronounced than Bean. Maeve is also smaller and lighter in coloring than Bean.

This winter, stop by the Caribou habitat and meet our newest resident!

Caribou Fast Facts:

• Alaska is home to more than 750,000 caribou. Some herds have more than 300,000 members!
• While walking on snow or rough ice, caribou can spread their toes to act like snowshoes.
• Caribou are well-suited for freezing temperatures, covered in hair from their nose to the bottom of their feet.