BEGINNING OF THE REINDEER RUT IN ALASKA

A sure sign the seasons are changing, when the reindeer and caribou in Alaska begin to shed their velvet antlers! It’s a sign that rut has begun, Sven is no exception and provided us with and unexpected surprise and began to rub his antlers. It took him just a few short hours to completely shed all the velvet. He does this by rubbing them on trees, shrubs, branches, or anything else he can think of. The process is completely normal and harmless! He revealed his beautiful antlers, but now instead of them being soft and harmless, they are very sharp and pointy. It takes extra caution now when handling him, but he is very respectful. He has a doctors appointment coming up that will help him stay safe and calm during his rut. Rut can be very hard (physically, they lose a lot of weight and stop eating at times) on them and so to ensure he has a much easier time, we will medicate him periodically. It basically helps tame his desires! It also helps him live a longer and more enjoyable life! Just look at his beautiful antlers!