Reindeer Distribution and Population
The earliest known caribou or reindeer lived in Europe and North America during the Pleistocene Epoch that is equivalent to about one million years ago. But in general, the previous recorded global or world distribution of the reindeer included Spitsbergen, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Scotland and the so called USSR which comprise the whole European and Asian regions of north of 50N latitude. Reindeer are likewise to be found in north-eastern China and Mongolia. There are also considerable quantities of reindeers in North America as far as south as Idaho, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan and Maine, alongside the whole southern, western and northern coasts of Greenland.
The reindeers in Finland were eradicated in the nineteenth century and in the early twentieth century; the Svalbard reindeer was almost eliminated in Spitsbergen. However, there have been reindeer movements seen across the USSR edges and small reindeer population are still thought to exist in eastern Finland.
In Norway, all its southern mountainous areas have around 42,000 estimated wild reindeers. And averages of 200,000 domesticated reindeers are present in the northern Norway. On the Koala Peninsula located in the previous USSR only around 100 reindeers are known to survive because of massive reindeer extermination in 1930. But due to the conservation effort done in 1968, the quantity of reindeer in that area had reach 20,000 during 1970.
There were also about 20,000 reindeers in the Novaya Zemlya but because of excessive demand for reindeers, there are just few numbers remaining at current situation. But all in all, the most recorded population of reindeers in the entire world was found in USSR. The wild reindeers in that region were estimated to reach more than 800,000 with the addition of whopping over 2.5 million domesticated reindeers.
Between the periods of 16 years from 1771 to 1787 the domesticated reindeers were brought and introduced in Iceland. The domesticated reindeers were sent and allowed to live in wild and their population immediately multiply after just a short period. But the reindeer population in Iceland became steady at 3000 which is attributed to food competition from other domestic livestock as horses and sheeps.
Scotland imported around 29 reindeers between the years of 1952 and 1954. These reindeers came from the Swedish mountains. Then, more forest type reindeers later arrived in Scotland. Southern Norway also exported few reindeers in Scotland afterwards. After eighteen years since the first introduction of imported reindeers in Scotland, there were about 100 increases in herds that allowed further reindeers to be sold in zoos and other private collectors. An experimental group of reindeers was further brought in a new site located in Scottish Highlands on early 1990 with the aim of creating a second reindeer herd outside Cairngorms. Other efforts to bring and introduce reindeer in countries like Germany, Austria and the Orkneys were also executed to promote the reindeer population but unfortunately reindeers brought in these countries were unable to adapt themselves and soon died.
Reindeers outside Europe were not very significant in number. In Greenland, there were estimated around 15,000 reindeers in 1983 which was the yield of domesticated reindeers that was introduced last 1952. The 1974 population of reindeers in Bank Islands located in Canada is roughly between 5,300 to 8,000 reindeers. And in western Queen Elizabeth Islands, 4,000 reindeers was approximately living in 1974.
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06.06.2006.