Although the UK is very happy with reindeer this December, experts warn against using reindeer in Christmas events.

The climate, diet and living conditions are so different from their natural habitat that they develop stress-related illnesses, and in the worst cases, die.

Director of the Cairngorm Reindeer Center in Inverness-shire, Tilly Smith, called on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Defra, to stop importing reindeer.

– They don’t come from reindeer farms in Scandinavia. They come from the wild and the UK is not their natural habitat, Smith added Telegraph.

Also read: PETA opposes the use of reindeer in Christmas shows

The only free reindeer herd in the UK

Tilly Smith, with her husband, Alan Smith, owns a reindeer herd of around 150 reindeer located in one of the few deer-friendly places in the UK, in the Cairngorms mountains.

This reindeer herd came to the Cairngorms with Swedish-Sámi reindeer herder Mikel Utsi in 1952. The Smiths have owned the herd since 1989.

They even take Tilly to a Christmas event:

– They are tame animals, and the key is that they can return to the mountains, he explains.

Imported reindeer are infected with parasites

In 2005, there were changes to the quarantine rules. The quarantine period was reduced from four months to four weeks. This makes importing deer easier.

Imported reindeer are particularly susceptible to parasites. According to the founding chairman of the Veterinary Deer Society, Dr John Fletcher, many reindeer die simply from contact with sheep. They tolerate very little because they come from very different climates.

Reindeer become thin

– They had eaten well and were fat in the summer before coming to England, so they could survive the winter. But when spring comes again, they become thinner, and may die, Smith explains Telegraph.

Smith also said he had spoken to a vet who was called to examine a three-year-old reindeer that was supposed to weigh 150kg but weighed less than 35kg. He has also been contacted by well-meaning owners who are unable to care for their reindeer because they were deceived into thinking the animal did not require special care.

He further explained:

– It’s too hot here in summer. Living on grass is strictly prohibited. They are used to living in groups, eating different foods in different seasons, and needing to move around. They couldn’t just stay in a closed area all the time. Defra does not know where these deer go when they enter the country. They are sent to inappropriate places such as Christmas markets, small farms and can also be stored in warehouses. It was far from open countryside.

– Reindeer are adapted to life in the Arctic. They are not prepared to live in hot, wet, temperate climates. They are also unable to cope with the stress they receive in captivity. Most of the illnesses we see are stress-related illnesses. “We want Defra to stop importing reindeer,” said Fletcher.