Two reindeer, a female and her offspring, have been spotted in Arnarvatnsheidi in west of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />Iceland this summer. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” />
The Icelandic reindeer population is confined to the east part of the country so this unusual sighting has generated speculation as to whether the animals are migrating westwards. That might increase the risk of animal diseases being transmitted between the different regions of Iceland.
In an interview with the national radio RÚV, Halldór Runólfsson, Chief Veterinary Officer, expressed his worries over such a migration but doubted that these two reindeer were indicative of that. Therefore he didn’t think it was necessary to kill these two far-traveled animals.
