Reindeer Blog

In a billowing cloud of white, Russia’s Arctic herders drive thousands of panting and wild-eyed reindeer through the knee-deep snow to the first slaughter this year. But warm winters in recent years have forced herders here in the far northern Kola Peninsula to delay for months the rounding up of their reindeer from the vast [...]

  (Source: BarentsObserver) Gazprom’s construction of the 1100 km long pipeline between the Bovanenkovo field in Yamal to Ukhta in the Komi Republic is violating environmental legislation, local environmentalists say. The critics are joined by several company employees, who say that the pipeline construction is harming the Arctic nature in the area, Regnum reports. Garbage is dumped [...]

  Reindeer numbers in the Komi Republic (primarily Vorkuta, Inta and Usinskhave) stabilised, according the regions  Ministry of Agriculture and Food. According to the agency, on 1 January 2009 there were 64,825 deer, which is  4326 head more than a year ago.  Production of meat in live weight has also increased. Slaughter numbers would have been [...]

The Komi Republic court has ruled that Gazprom acted illegally in taking land that had belonged to a reindeer herding group and ordered the company return the land and pay damages. Gazprom had ignored an earlier court ruling to do just that, and consequently, it is unclear whether it will obey. The reindeer herders’ case [...]

The Russian veterinary service has registered rabies in a group of 46 reindeers which suddenly died this month in a farm in the Komi Republic. According to Rosbaltnord.ru, the 46 animals which died in the “Severny” farm in Usinsk, the Komi Republic, all had rabies. The animals were all part of a bigger herd, which [...]