Welcome to pour sugar little girl pet, share pet knowledge, small fun, small fun! Now that you can feel the strong Christmas atmosphere in the streets, I don't know if you are still looking forward to the Christmas gifts that Santa Claus gives you? About Santa's reindeer, it is suitable to learn more about it in this season.
Lovely reindeer
Santa's reindeer, known in North America as the North American reindeer, is native to the Arctic and subarctic regions. Their number is second only to endangered species. In the last 10-30 years, their number has dropped by 40%, which is very worrying.
Reindeer participating in human life
Currently, wild reindeer live in North America, particularly Alaska and Canada, as well as Greenland, Norway, Finland, Russia and Mongolia. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, there are only 3 wild reindeer left in the 48 southern states of the United States, all of them females, known as the Selkirk reindeer herd. This small group of migratory animals has lived in Idaho and Washington for some time, but may soon disappear forever. The South Purcell herd in British Columbia, Canada, is in an equally bad situation; There are probably only four left. We know that this news is on the date of the festival, and it is not happy, the reindeer are gone, and Santa Claus still sends gifts!
Like the Easter rabbit and chick, many reindeer around the world are now being exploited. Although the animals belong to the Arctic and its environs, Good Treatment for Animals reports that they are often dragged through multiple countries, dragging things too heavy, eating poorly, and contracting diseases from domestic animals.
Reindeer in captivity by humans
Lisa Lange, senior vice president of Good Animals, told the media: "There is no fun to use live animals as holiday decorations. Reindeer belong to the Arctic and subarctic regions and can move freely in the vast open areas, but most of the reindeer in captivity are kept in small sheds for public display and photography. Cruelty and neglect are inevitable when sensitive wildlife is reduced to novelty ornaments, and Good Treatment for Animals urges people to celebrate the holiday without harming the animals' well-being. ”
There is still some good news, and there are places where the public can meet and greet reindeer in their natural environment. One of the reindeer herds is the Cairngorm reindeer herd, which is located in Cairngorms National Park, about 6 miles from Aviemore, Scotland. The Reindeer Center tells people that not all reindeer are wild. Reindeer are completely domesticated, and although reindeer herds live in semi-wild lifestyles, there are some key differences between domesticated or captive animals as a species. Other reindeer may have been kept in captivity outside their natural habitat, but this is not the case with the Cairngorms reindeer herd. The center also noted that The Good Treatment Animals' position that reindeer were "forced to pull things too heavy, ate bad food, and contracted livestock diseases" was completely inconsistent with their deer herd.
Reindeer involved in human life
We should note that reindeer and wild reindeer are actually the same species. However, there are some important differences. The wild reindeer is a large wild elk that lives in northern North America and Greenland and has never been domesticated. The reindeer, on the other hand, are slightly smaller and were domesticated in northern Eurasia about 2,000 years ago. "Aside from the geography, another difference is that wild reindeer are hunted and reindeer are grazed."
Reindeer in the snow
Tilly Smith, the head of the Reindeer Center, has been caring for the animals with her family for nearly 40 years. Reindeer were once native to Scotland but disappeared there hundreds of years ago. The deer herd is native to Sweden but was reintroduced into the Scottish Highlands in 1952 as part of a successful trial. Today, the herd has 150 deer, and some of their antlers are rumored to have appeared in Game of Thrones.
Santa Claus dressed up as a man with reindeer
Reindeer have furry noses and can sense ultraviolet rays. Is that to help guide Santa's sleigh? They do have a furry warm nose. This prevents frostbite and helps them smell food under the snow. They can also sense ultraviolet wavelengths, which is important in the Arctic winter "snowscape".
reindeer
Reindeer is indeed a domesticated animal, and humans have been domesticating reindeer for thousands of years. In terms of their behavior, they are exactly the same as horses or ponies and other domestic animals in terms of being maneuvered, riding, sledding, etc. In many ways, as long as they "work" in a "team," they are more trusted because they are highly gregarious animals.
Reindeer pulling sleigh real scene
However, the domestication of reindeer differs fundamentally from traditional domestic animals such as cattle, sheep, goats and horses. This difference is reflected in their way of life, even if they are domesticated. Cattle, sheep and other animals are completely separated from the original natural environment and surrounded by farmland for agricultural production. Reindeer, on the other hand, live in their natural habitats, the Arctic and subarctic regions, and humans have to follow their herds as nomadic peoples. As a result, domesticated reindeer look no different from their wild reindeer, but cattle and sheep are very different from their wild ancestors.
There's more to learn about reindeer, and after knowing more about Santa's reindeer, perhaps the best gift for reindeer is better protection for them.