The Cairngorm Reindeer

BUY OUR NEW FILM 'FOUR SEASONS'. A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF OUR REINDEER

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Reindeer Booklet

Student Pack

TILLY SMITH'S BOOK ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF REINDEER, BUY IN OUR NEW SHOP

We love sharing our reindeer and local knowledge with you. You could join one of our reindeer herders on a hill trip and find out everything you need to know about reindeer or maybe join us while we are travelling around the country at christmas time. Did you know that reindeer don't melt the snow they lie on because of their big warm winter coats?, or that the Cairngorms (where our reindeer live) boasts the highest, coldest and snowiest plateax on the Bristish Isles?

At The Reindeer Centre we have a large exhibition in our paddocks. Accompanied by some reindeer you can find out about our herd's history, the reindeer world or find clues to complete a quiz and enter the monthly draw to win a reindeer adoption.

It does not stop there either; Tilly Smith - manager of The Cairngorm Reindeer has written "The Real Rudolph". Following on from her first book "Velvet Antlers Velvet Noses", 'The Real Rudolph' explores everything reindeer related, including an account of a very special trip she made to Mongolia in 2005 to visit reindeer herding people. Also we have a DVD "4 Seasons". Produced by Alex Smith, narrated by Emily Singleton and filmed by reindeer herders working here over a duration of 3 years. It follows The Cairngorm Herd throughout the year, covering the changes the reindeer undergo throughout this time and how we are involved with them on the hill.

FAMILY :		Deer (Cervidae).
SPECIES :		Rangifer Tarandus
SIZE :		Approx 1 Metre at the Shoulder
BEHAVIOUR :		Highly gregarious, generally found in a herd

Want to know more? We have produced two brochures:

One is a "Student's Pack" which contains a variety of information intended for both educational and fun purposes. And the other is a 16 page "Reindeer Booklet". Both of these are available, free of charge, here at the Download Area in the left sidebar.

The Student Information Pack contains a variety of information intended for both educational and fun purposes. Each section starts with a header page telling you what the following pages are about. Any teachers amongst you may find its format useful in the classroom. If you feel that any changes would be helpful to make the pack fall in line with particular aspects of the National Curriculum, please let us know.

The Reindeer Booklet is in one section and will download easily.

R	eindeer and Caribou are the same species
E	very reindeer regardless of sex or age grows a new set of antlers every year.
I	ce and snow are no problem. Reindeer have thick Winter coats for Arctic life.
N	omadic tribes throughout Arctic Scandinavia and Russia have domesticated reindeer.
D	uring May and June the calves are born. Very precocious, they grow quickly.
E	dible mushrooms, lichens and Arctic vegetation are the favourite food of reindeer.
E	xtra wide, splayed hooves enable reindeer to spread weight on soft snow to prevent them sinking.
R	eindeer have a short, dark Summer coat and thick, lighter coloured Winter coat.