EUROPEAN FOREST REINDEER Rangifer tarandus fennicus and DOMESTIC REINDEER Rangifer tarandus

Reindeer once ranged over Scotland’s tundra and travelled in large herds. With its long, sweeping antlers, it is a majestic and important inhabitant of the far north. It is a gregarious animal and herds may number several thousand. Their diet consists of lichens, mosses and grasses. Antlers are used by both sexes in defence. The male uses his also to fight other males over a mate.Their coat is thick with a heavy, dense coat of woolly under fur, waterproofed by stiff guard hairs on top. These thick coarse hairs are hollow to increase insulation. As the animals have to feed in the snow, the nose is also covered in thick hair which protects it from the cold. The feet of the reindeer are very wide and splayed, enabling them to travel rapidly over snow.

Calving, as with many hoofed animals, is tightly synchronised. The calves can run soon after birth and their long legs mean that a healthy reindeer can usually outrun its enemies. Large eyes on the side of the head lets the reindeer see danger creeping up from behind.

We currently have two different kinds of reindeer at the Highland Wildlife Park - domestic reindeer and European forest reindeer. The European forest reindeer are much rarer than the common reindeer and are part of a conservation breeding programme supporting the remaining wild population in Northern Scandinavia. They are darker in colour and have narrower antlers than the domestic reindeer. Our small herd consists of males from Finland and Sweden.