Herd the latest? Study to unlock secrets of Cairngorms reindeer
They have roamed freely in the Cairngorms for more than 60 years. Now scientists are to unlock the secrets of the UK’S only herd of reindeer, writes MASON BOYCOTT-OWEN
THEY are the UK’S only herd of free roaming reindeer, permitted to wander over thousands of acres of woodland and mountains in the Cairngorms national park.
Now Scottish scientists are undertaking a new study to look at the behaviour of the herd of a species usually found in Scandinavia.
The Cairngorms Reindeer Research Programme run by the University of the Highlands and Islands aims to use cuttingedge GPS camera collars to monitor the movements and diet of reindeer to learn more about them.
Dr Louise de Raad from the University of the Highlands and Islands said: “The Cairngorms National Park contains some of the finest forests and mountain habitats in Britain and landowners are seeking to maximise the restoration and expansion of these areas. We know the reindeer are a key visitor attraction, but despite being present for more than 60 years we know very little about their impact on the area.
“Studying their feeding and ranging behaviour will be a first step towards understanding their impact and this will help us make recommendations to ensure that the herd is managed sustainably and continues to make a positive contribution to the area.”
Reindeer have lived in the Cairngorms since 1952 after a Swedish man brought seven across from his homeland on the ship ‘S.S. Sarek.’
Mikel Utsi was a Sami – an indigenous people of northern Europe who come from a tradition of hunting and fishing across northern Scandinavia and east Russia.
He identified the Cairngorms as a natural habitat for reindeer just like his homeland. After his death in 1979 the herd was taken over by Alan Smith, one of its keepers, as nobody else wanted carry it on.
Here, Alan met his wife and together with their children, they have managed the herd ever since. Now the herd has grown significantly and has become a popular tourist attraction for the area.
Fiona Smith, Alan’s daughter who works with the herd told the Herald: “We’ve got about 150 in the whole herd and about 14 were born this year when calving began in May.
“They all range a lot in colour, from jet black to pure white. Bangle is the oldest, she’s 16, and they usually live between 12 to 14 years. They’re all named and we know exactly who’s related to who.
“It’s the only place that reindeer can free
range, since the Cairngorms is the only suitable reindeer-friendly environment in the UK. There’s nowhere else in the UK where reindeer could possibly live naturally.
“The ecosystem is the same subarctic one which exists in Scandinavia. The Sami man who came identified it as the same as his homeland. It has similar heathers and mosses which reindeer love. If the reindeer weren’t able to free range, we couldn’t have them here. They cannot survive alone being kept in permanent captivity, so they need to have the Cairngorms to be able to survive successfully.”
Though this herd is the only free roaming one in the UK, reindeer were once native to the British Isles. Fossil evidence from Sutherland show that they lived wild in Scotland as late as 6,300 BC.
However, Norse sagas tell a different tale. According to the Orkneyinga Saga, reindeer were hunted in Caithness by the Earls of Orkney until around the 13th Century.
These days, there are several species of deer across the country, with some two million thought to live throughout the UK. However environmentalists are aware of the significant impact which deer can have on forests.
Tens of thousands of deer have to be culled across the UK every year to keep populations down, as the regeneration of woodland is stunted by severe overgrazing. One of the functions of this study will be to see how much impact reindeer have on their surroundings.
Dr Louise de Raad, of Inverness College UHI, said: “Reindeer are a major visitor attraction, with 40,000 visitors annually and help bring employment and tourism to the Cairngorms. We will be looking at attitudes of visitors and comparing these to those of local residents.
“Obviously, red deer are being closely controlled to minimise their impact until forests have been restored, whilst reindeer are free-ranging for large parts of the year.”
“Reindeer are thought to browse more ‘delicately’ and have a different hoof structure than red deer. Low level impact of trampling may be beneficial. But this is what we are looking to find out.”
The project to monitor the reindeer completed its first phase earlier this year.
We know all their all names