As we turn our calendars over to December, many of us are looking forward to the festive season as a chance to unwind surrounded by loved ones. However, for the nationâs captive reindeer, a season of suffering is already underway.
Across the country, reindeer are used throughout the festive season as live props for Christmas events. They are taken from their families, paraded through busy town centres, and made to endure busy, loud, and overwhelming environments. Often, they are forced into direct contact with the public who are allowed to grab at them, tugging on their antlers. They have no escape from this torment, and they just want to return to their families.
On Friday 28th November, Animal Aid investigators attended the Wincanton Christmas Light Switch On to observe and record the treatment of reindeer on display there. What they witnessed was disgraceful. Two juvenile reindeer were displayed in a tiny enclosure for hours. They displayed signs of agitation and distress throughout the event, repeatedly attempting to retreat into their small transportation vehicle to escape the noise, activity, and constant crowd attention. Young children were seen pulling the reindeersâ antlers and grabbing at their ears. The only response from the handlers was a brief, âItâs not a toyâ. If you present animals as though they are objects, children will often treat them as such â it’s our job to provide a much better example for young people by not using live animals as props.
Reindeer may not speak the same language as us, but they tell us very clearly on a regular basis that they do not want to be props. Buddy the reindeer did just that on Saturday, when he fled from a festive event in Formby, sparking a huge operation to recapture him. After hours of terror, alone and afraid, Buddy was returned to his captors early on Sunday morning. This harrowing incident is just the latest in a string of reindeer escapes from events. Just two years ago Blue and Blitzen escaped The Elveden Estate in Suffolk and spent over 24 hours on the run, crossing the busy A11 at serious risk of injury.
Buddy the Reindeer was found on Formby Beach hours after his panicked escape from a festive event. Credit PA News.
One of the most heartbreaking aspects of Buddyâs terrifying ordeal was the lack of empathy in the public and media responses. Flippant remarks such as âpossibly heading for the North Poleâ upon his escape and âChristmas is savedâ upon his recapture were seen frequently both on social media and in news outlets, with very little said about the animalâs experience. This is an important example of how live animal displays do nothing to educate or connect people with animals and simply teach the public that they are nothing but props or objects.
The evidence gets stronger every year â reindeer suffer when used in events. They are herd animals, and being separated from their herd is something that predators do to them. It activates their core survival instincts which universally involves a stress response. This often leads them to try to escape events, like Buddy did at the weekend. Even in the absence of escapes, a study of reindeer events filmed n 2024 showed that 75% of the animals displayed stress indicators, such as trembling or avoidance. Reindeer are trying to tell us they donât want to be on display â are we going to listen to them?
