Mother–Offspring Bonding after Calving in Water Buffalo and Other Ruminants: Sensory Pathways and Neuroendocrine Aspects
Daniel Mota-Rojas,
Cécile Bienboire-Frosini,
Agustín Orihuela,
Adriana Domínguez-Oliva,
Dina Villanueva García,
Patricia Mora-Medina,
Alex Cuibus,
Fabio Napolitano,
Temple Grandin
Affiliations
Daniel Mota-Rojas
Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, Department of Animal Production and Agriculture, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Xochimilco Campus, Mexico City 04960, Mexico
Cécile Bienboire-Frosini
Department of Molecular Biology and Chemical Communication, Research Institute in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology (IRSEA), 84400 Apt, France
Agustín Orihuela
Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca 62209, Mexico
Adriana Domínguez-Oliva
Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, Department of Animal Production and Agriculture, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Xochimilco Campus, Mexico City 04960, Mexico
Dina Villanueva García
Division of Neonatology, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
Patricia Mora-Medina
Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Cuautitlán Izcalli 54714, Mexico
Alex Cuibus
Faculty of Animal Science and Biotechnologies. University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Fabio Napolitano
Scuola di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali, Alimentari ed Ambientali, Università degli Studi della Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Temple Grandin
Department of Animal Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA
The cow–calf bonding is a process that must be developed within the first six hours after calving. Both the buffalo dam and the newborn calf receive a series of sensory cues during calving, including olfactory, tactile, auditory, and visual stimuli. These inputs are processed in the brain to develop an exclusive bond where the dam provides selective care to the filial newborn. The limbic system, sensory cortices, and maternal-related hormones such as oxytocin mediate this process. Due to the complex integration of the maternal response towards the newborn, this paper aims to review the development of the cow–calf bonding process in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) via the olfactory, tactile, auditory, and visual stimuli. It will also discuss the neuroendocrine factors motivating buffalo cows to care for the calf using examples in other ruminant species where dam–newborn bonding has been extensively studied.
