Reindeer are making a huge splash in the UK lately--as popular tourist attractions in garden centers. Yes, you heard that right. Many garden centers across England are becoming homes to reindeer in hopes of boosting their foot traffic and consequently sales. Three years ago, as a precursor to the influx of reindeer across the UK, the quarantine period for imported reindeer was reduced from four months to just one.
According to an article in the Daily Mail, these reindeer live the life of well, Santa's most beloved fleet for those few weeks before Christmas and then "live a miserable existence for the rest of the year." It seems that the Brits who import the reindeer do not know much about caring for them, unlike, say the Laplanders who have been herding them for years.
Pity the poor reindeer but also pity the new owners like the woman who was attacked and trampled by her three year old Mr. Frosty, who was, according to those who know, simply looking for a mate.
Many reindeer in Britain are being kept in conditions that are the antithesis of their natural habitats: small pens or enclosures. Reindeer in the wild like to graze and roam. Those confined can develop hoof problems, parasites and worms. Their antlers, used for protection in the wild, can fail to develop. And many are kept in small groups--two or maybe three--while reindeer prefer to lives in herds. In addition, the climate of England may in fact be too warm for these animals used to the Artic.
The bottom line: it is fine to expose children to wild reindeer for a week or so, but then these animals need to be returned to the wild where they belong. At the very least, Santa needs to keep more than one team in training. . .
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