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Cairngorm Reindeer Centre

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  • Broadcast Date:

    Wednesday, November 19, 2008 on stv

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  • Cairngorm Reindeer Centre

    The Cairngorms are home to the UK's only reindeer herd, which was introduced to Scotland in 1952 by Mikel Utsi, a Swedish reindeer herder. At first there were just a few animals, but now between 130 and 150 roam the hills. The reindeer are very friendly and quite tame; all have names, for instance two of the females are Esme and Lillibet.

    This is the only deer species where both males and females have antlers, with those on the males being larger. New antlers grow every year, and while they are covered in velvet. When males lose their antlers they sometimes leave the herd for a while as they are bossed around, but the antlers re-grow by the next Christmas.

    As reindeer normally live much further north, they are well adapted to the cold. They have two layers of fur: a dense woolly undercoat and a top layer made of long, air-filled hollow hairs. Specialised bones in a reindeer's nose increase the surface area of its nostrils, such that incoming cold air is warmed by body heat before it reaches the lungs.

    The Cairngorm Reindeer Centre in Glenmore near Aviemore is open all year, but only really makes any money at Christmas when the deer are hired out all over the UK for Santa parades. Training is needed before the young deer feel comfortable wearing a harness, but the main thing for them to get used to is the belt with bells on it. Once they become used to the jingly noise, then they are ready to pull the sleigh…

    www.reindeer-company.demon.co.uk/

  • Video Tags

    Sleigh Ride, Aviemore, christmas, glenmore, wildlife, scotland on tv, highlands, Reindeer, adventure, Mikel Utsi, santa, conservation, cairngorm reindeer park, outdoors, cairngorms

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