Twenty-four goat mothers were separated from their newborn kids for 1 hour immediately following birth. Two months later these mothers were observed to nurse their own kids less and alien kids more than nonseparated mothers. Separation of mother and young in half the flock also resulted in abnormal "rejecting" behavior in some nonseparated mothers.
Tonic immobility ("animal hypnosis" or catatonic trance) could not be induced in 1-year-old foster lambs and kids. Control animals, conforming to a characteristic of their species, could be readily immobilized. The suggested explanation for this difference in behavior is that the foster animals did not develop a normal flight distance because of the ambivalent behavior of the "stepmother," who alternately permitted and refused nursing.
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