Norway rebuilds a reindeer fence at its border with Russia
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Norway is rebuilding a dilapidated reindeer fence along its Arctic border with Russia to stop the animals from wandering into the neighboring country — costly strolls for which Oslo has to compensate Moscow over loss of grassland.
Norwegian officials said Thursday that so far this year, 42 reindeer have crossed into Russia seeking pastures and grazing land.
The reindeer barrier along the Norway-Russia border spans 93 miles and dates back to 1954. The Norwegian Agriculture Agency said a stretch of about 4 miles between the Norwegian towns of Hamborgvatnet and Storskog would be replaced.
The construction, with a price tag of $348,000, is to be completed by Oct. 1, the agency said.
The work is a challenge, however, as the workers have to stay on the Norwegian side of the border “at all times” during construction, “which makes the work extra demanding,” said Magnar Evertsen of the agency. If a worker crossed into Russian territory, without a Russian visa, that would amount to illegal entry.
The reindeer crossings bring on a lot of additional bureaucracy. Russia has sent two compensation claims, the agency said.
One claims is for nearly $4,700 per reindeer that crossed into Russia to graze in the sprawling Pasvik Zapovednik natural reserve in the Russian Murmansk region. The other claim is asking for a lump sum of nearly $4.4 million in total for the days the animals grazed in the park, which consists mostly of lakes, rivers, forests and marshland.
The agency said that of the 42 animals that entered Russia this year, 40 have been brought back to Norway and the other two are expected to come back soon.
The returned animals have since been slaughtered out of fear they may wander back to Russia, Evertsen said. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority may demand the carcasses be destroyed for safety reasons, the government body said in a statement.