Parental care of the young is crucial to the reproductive success of mammals. Our interest centers on the maternal-filial relationship and how this relationship affects the development of social and maternal behavior. Attempts to model human maternal attachment have been largely limited to rodents and primates. One goal then is to extend the range of models to include other groups particularly ungulates and specifically the domestic goat, Capra hircus. Research with goats offers a potentially valuable basis for a model of attachment and the effects of early experience since bonds between mother and infant are forged minutes after parturition and are then normally resistant to disruption. The major objectives have been to gain further insight into the experiential factors influencing the development of social and maternal behavior and to determine the mechanisms and processes underlying maternal attachment.