Mother–Offspring Bonding after Calving in Water Buffalo and Other Ruminants: Sensory Pathways and Neuroendocrine Aspects.

Simple Summary: This paper aims to review the development of the cow–calf bonding process in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) via olfactory, tactile, auditory, and visual stimuli. It will also discuss the neuroendocrine factors motivating buffalo cows to care for the calf. To develop cow–calf bonding, several olfactory, tactile, auditory, and visual cues need to be interchanged and processed by both the mother and the newborn. Sniffing, licking, grooming, and listening to the calf's vocalizations are the first inputs during calving. Oxytocin is the main hormone that mediates selective maternal behavior. Understanding the importance of the sensitive period and the endocrine changes required to elicit maternal behavior could help provide the appropriate stimulus to both the buffalo cow and the calf during calving. 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]