Posted on 09/26/2005 10:01:12 AM PDT by mwyounce
A reindeer injured an elderly couple in the wilds of Finnish Lapland, in a rare attack that caused injuries needing hospital treatment, officials said Monday.
A male reindeer suddenly appeared from a forest and attacked a man who was hiking Sunday with his partner near Kittila, about 620 miles north of Helsinki.
The buck butted the man to the ground and kicked him before turning on the woman who was talking to her son on a mobile phone, Kittila fire chief Jorma Ojala said. The son alerted rescue workers who arrived in helicopters and flew the couple to hospital.
The man and woman were not named, and officials declined to give further details.
A researcher at the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute said the attack came during the peak rutting season when up to 30 female reindeer may be on heat in the territory of one buck.
"Every year in the rutting season, buck reindeer are very possessive about their harems," said Mauri Nieminen, a reindeer expert at the institute. "If a person goes into an area between the reindeer and his females, the buck can easily turn on him or her."
"Normally, reindeer pose no danger at all," Nieminen added.
In Finland, unlike in neighboring Sweden and Norway, there are no wild reindeer. They are domesticated, but are allowed to roam the wilds of Lapland where herders seasonally track them down for branding and slaughter.
"Grandma got run over by a reindeer...."
And as for Grandpa, well I guess he believes, too. :)
They were just qualifying for the reindeer games.
Reindeer bites can be nasti...
cell phone rage...who hasn't felt the urge to end someone else's annoying call on occasion?
After I saw this on Yahoo, I searched FR for the article so I could post that as a response... when I saw it hadn't been posted yet, I just had to take matters into my own hands! I hope you'll forgive me! :-)
The lady didn't realize it, but some prankster gave her a ring tone that was actually a reindeer mating call.
For you, no reindeer, just a moosebite...
Yep,
Blitzen was boozed up.
I had some memory flash concerning one of those mechanical reindeer and horsey rides I used to ride in the shopping centers(dime a ride, sometimes even a quarter) as a child...I was trying to fashion a quick funny about that same reindeer coming back to shake down grandpa for that quarter not paid for that inadvertant free ride he got as a child.
Couldn't make it work...but rest assured my heart is in the right place!
Some vegetarians are quite dangerous.
That was the second thing I thought of, but I left that one for someone else to pick up! And you did!
By the way, I've heard of the infamous "A moose bit my sister" thread over the years, but never actually seen it... anyone got a link?
OK, I've got the answer to this riddle: "Why did the reindeer attack the grey-toppers? It's either Bush's fault or global warming(which is also Bush's fault)." I know, I spent the weekend in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts: Our Motto: No Outrage Is Too Small.
My sister was bitten by a reindeer once.
Sometimes you have to whack me over the head with a hammer, subtlety is not my strong suite. :-D
Almost as bad as a moose bitting your sister. ; )
Because we donnt have enough reindeer?
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