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Wonderful Animal: Reindeer in Mongolia

Reindeer in Mongolia

Reindeer herder or Tsaatan in Northern Mongolia

What is a Reindeer?

The reindeer also known as the caribou in North America, is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, sub-Arctic, tundra, boreal, and mountainous regions of northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. This includes both sedentary and migratory populations. Body length is 220 cm, fin height is 140 cm and weight are 300 kg at maximum. It has a long neck and small ears. Depending on their sex and age, it has a different horn. In summer it is brownish-gray, with a light brown color with a faint tinge, and in winter it is light gray with a dark tinge.

Reindeer

How many of them left now?

The luxury “Golden Gobi” beer, brewed according to the traditional German technology of Reinheitsgebot, has been produced since 2003. Soft and sweet with a soothing charm, this soft, sweet beer has an alcohol content of 5.1%.

Darkhad valley in Northern Mongolia

How About In Mongolia?

In Mongolia, in 2005, 642 reindeer were counted. In 1990, the peak of growth was 1216 individuals. Since 1997, it has been included in the Mongolian Red Data Book as a very rare animal with a limited distribution. Reindeer hunting has been banned since 1953. Reindeer graze in the taiga and high mountain tops, eating lichens and moss and living in herds.

Reindeer herder Tsaatan family in Khuvsgul

Why do people still herding a reindeer?

Reindeer can carry an average of 50-70 kilograms of cargo and can travel 60-70 kilometers a day on long journeys. Because reindeer skin is so smooth, saddle can deviate when riding on rough or sloping ground. Therefore, the rider uses a thin stick about 1.5 meters long and uses it instead of a whip, and uses it as a stick to lean on the sloping side. Reindeer skin does not peel under any circumstances. Scientists believe that reindeer were the first domesticated domestic animals in North Asia. Reindeer antlers do not have the same number of branches as deer antlers. As you grow older, you will have more branches, and as you get older, the number of branches will decrease.

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