Re: Why do some animals reject their babies?

There is no real reason for this. Perhaps the "Why?" question is simply not 
appropriate in such circumstances. It's sort of like asking: "Why did 
so-and-so die of cancer." Or "Why did I have an accident in my car?"

The answer for all these questions is: "Things go wrong."

Animal behavior (including human behavior) is just about the most complex 
thing in the world to understand. For behavior to go well (and we could, no 
doubt, argue for a long time about what this means), many things must fall 
into place. Some of these things depend on the genetic program in the 
animal's DNA. Others are dependent on the environment in which the embryo 
develops. Still more are dependent on the environment in which the animal 
grows to adulthood and lives on a daily basis.

It is possible to make great changes in the typical behavior of some 
animals by changing the conditions under which they are kept. Overcrowding, 
stress, lack of stimulation, drugs, malnourishment, all can have an effect 
on the behavior of animals. Disease may also take it's toll on the behavior 
of an animal. In some cases, disturbed behavior may be the main symptom of 
certain diseases.

I honestly don't know what has gone wrong with your bison mother. Perhaps 
you should have her checked out by your veterinarian. If you want more 
insight into the study of animal behavior, development, and how things go 
wrong, I would suggest that you look at my answers to two other questions 
on MadSci Network. Here are the ID Numbers.

878633041.Zo and 950205467.Ev

I hope things work out .