You will most likely come across reindeer while in Lapland, either on the road or by a reindeer farm. I have to write about the status of reindeer in Lapland because there are some interesting observations to be made.
Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) or Poro in Finnish, are a type of domesticated deer found in few places on earth, including Lapland, in the Arctic region of Finland, Sweden and Norway. A related wild species – the forest reindeer, exists, but in small numbers and they are a threatened species.
Did you know every reindeer in Lapland has an ‘owner’? They are semi – wild in the sense that they are allowed to roam freely but are gathered and may be kept in specific fenced areas for part of the year. They are still controlled in one way or another and their fate is determined by humans.
There’s more reindeer than humans in Lapland. Reindeers are everywhere here. I don’t mean you’ll see actual reindeers everywhere but they are a symbol representing Lapland in a way, they are on signs, logos, souvenirs and also on the menu.
Only a small percentage of reindeer are used for tourism and sledding purposes. Majority of them (almost 40% of the population per year) end up in the slaughterhouse and on to people’s plates.
Here are some facts, according to the Reindeer Herders’ Association in Finland:
”The core income of a reindeer herder comes from the meat production and is therefore strongly related to the number of slaughtered reindeer. There were 186 776 reindeer in Finland in the reindeer husbandry year 2013-14 and 71 580 were slaughtered.”
”Most of the slaughtered reindeer are new born calves and that is why they are very important for the herder..”
In ancient times, people depended on animals for survival. Things haven’t really changed when it comes to the dependence on animals in some societies, but it’s not necessary for survival anymore. I’m not sure how the possession and enslavement of animals is still looked over.
Reindeer herding has been part of the livelihood of the indigenous culture in Lapland (the Sami). I’m not writing to argue that, but just highlight the usage of animals. We also need to think about this side of the story.
Note that not all reindeer herders are Sami people. In Lapland, people now have access to modern day facilities and various food, many young Sami people live in cities and go to university, where they have a choice to not consume reindeer or any animal products. Moreover, reindeer herders use modern tech and gadgets e.g. to track reindeer.
It’s not the indigenous people’s lifestyle I want to discuss. What really bothers me is how reindeer products are promoted as a ‘local buy’ and their meat and skin promoted to tourists. These animals may not be treated as ‘farmed animals’ in factory farms, but they are still a mere commodity, as humans take everything from them. They are cattle that people profit from. The reindeer are caught, trucked off and killed in a modern day slaughterhouse.
Please check out the work of undercover journalist Rich Hardy at Not as Nature Intended Instagram page: @notasnatureintended
Firstly, I don’t see how any adult finds it fun to make a poor animal pull you around. I’m guessing the sleigh rides are aimed at kids. Reindeer, like horses need to be tamed to do this stuff and it is often done by harsh methods. I find it awful that people may whip and prod them to make them go where they please. In Lapland, the animal welfare standards maybe high, however the usage of animals by humans in the 21st century is highly questionable.
Next, the cognitive dissonance. Usually, the animals people eat are largely out of sight and people don’t give a thought on which an animal was killed and how for the product they buy on daily basis. But when people go visit reindeers, take rides and photos with them, buy reindeer shaped stuff, and can then get themselves to eat the flesh of the animal the same day – disturbing.
Why go vegan?
Reindeer in Lapland..
Bottom line, if we can live causing minimum harm to animals, why don’t we? Why are we still such blood and death craving humans? Are we just a bunch of violent monkeys hiding behind excuses? Haven’t we become more compassionate and found better ways to eat and live? Why don’t we leave the animals alone?
Last updated on December 15th, 2024
Thank you very much for this article, I am planning a trip to Finnish laplands and was trying to find information on reindeer farms (and huskies) but it seems everybody mentions how fun it is to feed the animals and/or go on a ride without being really worried about how animals are actually treated ‘behind the scene’ ; moreover, I was worried about the fact that every gift shop at those places sell reindeer meat or skins (!!) This article confirms what I was dreading. I won’t go to such places, and too bad for the lovely photos (this was my only motive for visiting one)
I didn’t mean to discourage you from visiting Lapland, but yes, you come across many shops and restaurants selling reindeer meat, skins and other things, we can’t avoid seeing. As for reindeers using for tourism purposes (sledding, petting farm) – they are not usually killed for meat. This small reindeer farm we visited was part of our hotel, we didn’t pay for a tour — the staff was nice enough to let us in to take some photos and offered berry juice too. You can sure meet reindeers this way 🙂 As for husky farms, there are very few that rehome their dogs, and I’ve heard that once the dogs ‘career’ ends they are euthanised. Hetta Huskies is one company in Lapland that have some ethical standards, you can check them out. Thank you for making conscious choices!
I am now in Rovaniemi and I absolutely agree with you. I find it contracting that in almost everything, there are reindeers and they seem to represent these northern countries and yet they’re not treated well. I saw the blood stained antler of the a few reindeers pulling the sleigh and their eyes speak of fear. I just feel so bad for them 🙁
The antlers may be like that as reindeer fight among each other or are shedding it. But I’m not sure how they are being treated otherwise – the animal welfare standards should be high. But yes, totally sad that they are forced to pull carts around, and of course, there are people eating reindeer meat everywhere :/
Whereas Indigenous Peoples’ rights and culture have been fully (yet slowly) recognised, which, in the case of Sami people – in Finland, and in Fennoscandia, in general – is closely related to reindeer herding, and there have been massive abuses, dispossession and neglection of culture, language, traditions of Sami inflicted in the past and somewaht still inflicted, for e.g. with ‘green’ (!) mining projects in search of minerals necessary for cars, electronics, etc. that a green’ and ‘sustainable’ economy transition demands), it does not mean that culture cannot evolve.
It is very common to associate Indigenous cultures with nature. Sami people is often claimed – and I believe it is true – to be more repectful, caring and close towards nature, including because of the close relationship they have cultivated with the reindeer throughout generations. However, this is what I cannot understand, and here I agree with the author’s point:
Why Sami people (in Finland and elsewhere) still need to resort to reindeer slaughthering? Is it a matter of survival? Are not there other means available to make a living, especially considering that many Sami people live in cities and/or have access to education and other means of living? This does not mean at all suggesting to stop or abandon reindeer herding, which is a core part of Sami culture that should be respected and preserved. What I am questioning here, is the specific practice of reindeer slaughthering for economic profit. Is it a matter of culture? If so, then is it that culture -as expression of humans’ life- cannot evolve? Or rather, is it (purely)a matter of business?
There are plenty of Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultural practices that have stopped with the time due to evolution of humans’ mindset recognising that culture cannot be practiced at the expense of harm, suffering and lives of other beings (animals, humans, and nature in general).
I agree that there are lots of ‘morals’ that could be questioned, principles of modern life that took us to this point of global ecological crises, and factors, including economic ones, that might be less known to non-Sami people, but my question here it is:
Why reindeers have to pay with their lives the (economic, food, etc.) demands of humans, either from their ‘owners’ or consumers?
Why they cannot live with their human companions (and die) freely, without being subjected to the trauma of the slaughtering of their babies, ‘friends’ and themselves? Who says they do not feel? They DO feel, think and have emotions – which emotion would evoke that the same human that saw you at birth, raised you and gave you protection and comfort, takes you to the slaugtheringhouse at the end?
My point is that, if reindeer slaughthering is part of culture, then, it must evolve (as human cultures historcally evolve). If reindeer slaughthering happens for economic reasons (be taxes, making a living or demands of tourists and locals), then, as ‘intelligent’ human animals, we must find ways to ‘survive’ without causing harm or killing nature, the reindeer in this case.
It is time we, humans (Indigenous or not) understand that nature, including animals do not exist FOR us, but WITH us. It is time we learn to CO-EXIST with and RESPECT other human and non-human beings of nature.
Of course, there are plenty of similar examples of other animals and other cultures worldwide, but this discussion is about the killing of reindeers in Lapland.
This is a good analysis of the subject!
A big problem I have with the reindeer herding situation in Lapland apart from the points you mention is the way predators are reduced in order to maintain the full economic benefits of the deer. In southern Finland predators have full protection but in what is considered the reindeer husbandry zone which is really Lapland and a little further south there are exceptions to allow predators populations to be minimized. Lapland is the most intact environment in Finland by far and potentially the most intact in Europe. If allowed predators, namely Wolverine and brown bear would thrive. I always wondered when looking at the numbers of certain predatory mammals in Finland why are they so prevalent in the south-east but not in the much wilder and more intact north? I was confused for a while until I noticed it’s because the numbers are artificially maintained. Lapland could be the Alaska of Europe, a place where wilderness and all of the regions unique species thrive in a brilliant ecosystem but this trade seems to suppress this.
you are right, the predator numbers are also controlled. I believe there are more licences / quota to kill wolves, wolveries and other predators in Lapland. Wolves are a protected species in Finland. However, exceptions are made under the condition of ‘Damage Prevention: to prevent significant damage to livestock, particularly reindeer.’
I totally agree with your thoughts here life has changed now we are in the 21st century people should not depend on reindeer for survival why can’t they just leave these animals live the way they are intended to live out in nature humans are the worst creatures on earth, in the olden ages they had no choice but be dependent on such animals for survival bit now it is just for financial gain amd nothing else in the excuse of culture
Thanks for your comment. That’s exactly what I want to point out in this post. We definitely need to move on from exploiting animals and find ethical options in this day and age. And some people say that if we didn’t use these animals, they would die a cruel death in the wild.. but they do have a fighting chance at survival in the wild whereas we kill them in masses even when we have no real need to.
Hi.
Don’t take this too seriously, but think about it…
As a reindeer herder I just wanted to say a couple of things that people have not thought of, maybe.
Reindeer are our companions in our life, we see them at birth, look after them when they are sick and keep them happy and cozy. I mean, they could leave whenever they want, but instead they choose to come back to me every winter. And that is not all, every morning they wait for me to come and see them and some even want to have the same scratching… Is this exploitation?
And if we talk about exploitation and moralization… It is a shame that people moralize us and after that they go to movies, restaurants, grocery stores, internet, facebook, instagram etc. They buy Big new TV:s or New electric cars, fly to the vacation, take a cruise or sleep in a hotel… They are the reason why we are at this point… Every battery means new MINERAL mine in Lapland, every electronic device means new GOLD mine in Lapland, every book means that OLD FORESTS are cut down and soil tilled to grow new faster… AND TO ALL THIS THEY SUPPORT WITH TAXES…
After all this there is nothing for poor reindeer to eat out there and we have to feed them or else 99% of them will starve to death. To feed them we need money, to pay taxes we need money…
To get some view to this : One ferryload of avocados raised, transported to Finland and sold in Finland, releases almost same amount of carbon to the atmosphere that all the cars in Finland during the whole year… but now to the point
1st. How did we come to this point? – All started a long time ago when modern societies started tax collection to keep states and cities going and growing. That was a starting point, where also reindeer herders were required to pay taxes (money) and where else they would earn money? They owned just reindeer.
2nd. Access to groceries – Access to grocery stores might be obvious for people, but like here in Lapland… Our shopping trip is 90 KM and the same trip back, like 180 km to get some milk!
3rd Growing your food – We have 8 months of snow coverage… Do I need to say more?
And like you said… this is modern time, we did not ask for it, but we also live it, like you too… And after all this, if you still want to moralize… let’s demolish cities, roads, mines and houses. Let’s grow the forests back like they were in middle age. Lets cure the land like it was before all this started so we could continue our traditional living… and after that, we can start to moralize and blame each other.
Now we just have to live our life like it is…
Hi, thanks for your comment. I have thought about some of the things you have mentioned and I agree it may not be an easy or sudden switch for people living these lifestyles (reindeer herding) and it is rather unfortunate that they have to kill the animals to make a living. But that’s how it is for now, right? Let me go through your points:
– Reindeer are your companions, you may provide them safety and comfort. That isn’t exploitation and I don’t say it is. Rather, I wonder why most of the reindeer are killed as calves for meat? (facts from the Reindeer Herder’s association)
– I don’t know what you mean by ‘moralization’ here. A vast area of forests is protected and I hope it remains so (there have to be laws in place to limit the mining). Also we have controlled the reindeer population to match numbers to kill (for humans) as well as reduced predators. In a natural situation 99% of free roaming reindeer would probably not starve to death.
– A large % of the population of reindeer are killed off by humans mostly for profits. It was this way in the past times all around the world – animals (and even humans) used as resources to buy and sell but in many cases we have progressed from that.
– About your typical avocado example – what’s the source? It seems inaccurate to claim that a ferryload avocados equals all cars in Finland in a year. In any case, I’m not discussing carbon footprints in this post.
– In the blog I mainly discuss why reindeer exploitation is promoted to tourists (eat their meat, buy their skin, rides)
– Have you looked from the reindeers point of view, in the end – do they want to be slaughtered or just live their lives freely?
The artist Outi Pieski claims that the Sami have ‘equal status with nature’ , but forgets to tell us about the thousands of reindeer slaughtered every year.
That’s not my idea of equal status.
*sigh* 😔