Wild forest reindeer

Size

The forest reindeer stag (male) weighs up to 150 kg, which is almost twice the size of the hind (female).

Ecology

The forest reindeer is gregarious and lives in herds of 20 to 30 animals inhabiting coniferous forests of the northern hemisphere.
Reindeer is the only deer species where both sexes have antlers. A stag sheds his antlers after the rutting period in late autumn, the hind succeeds to do the same in late winter. Longer delays in the shedding of antlers during the season, are shown to be directly proportional to the individual’s high rank. Research also shows that larger antlers are synonymous with relative high social status of hinds in that herd.

Food habits

The forest reindeer feeds on lichens, herbs, leaves, shoots, roots, grasses and shrubs.

Longevity

Forest reindeer survive for 8 to 10 years in the wild, but in zoos for approximately 20 years.

Reproduction

During the rutting season, stags fight amongst each other in competition for the chance to breed, and the winning stag copulates with all hinds in heat. Following a gestation period of 7.5 months, the hind gives birth to 1 or 2 calves.

Conservation status

The last of Swedish forest reindeer were shot in the 1880s. The ones present in the pasturelands of the Lapps in the North are a separate semi-domesticated subspecies.
Wild forest reindeer still inhabit coniferous forest in eastern Finland and Russia, and Borås Zoo’s reindeer stem from those populations.
Swedish zoos take part in a cooperative Nordic breeding program to ensure that there is a viable and healthy forest reindeer zoo population.