A scary situation for a reindeer caught in a mud trap was about to turn deadly when a group of men walking along the river decided to intervene. These local men happened to live in one of the few places on earth where reindeer husbandry is a vacation. Their quick thinking saved the reindeer’s life.
11. “The End of the Road”
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Deep in Siberia is the Yamal semi-autonomous region, a 435-mile peninsula. “Yamal” means “end of the land” in the language of its indigenous inhabitants, the Nenets. The area is geologically very young – perhaps just 10,000 years old. It is largely undeveloped due to the harsh weather conditions and perma-frost layer. But Yamal has something special.
10. Half a Million Reindeer
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The Yamal peninsula is the best example of traditional, large-scale nomadic reindeer husbandry. Nenets and Khanty reindeer herders hold about half a million domestic reindeer. These are some of the world’s great reindeer herding people, who migrate all ear round to take care of the reindeer.
9. A Reindeer in Danger
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Three men were out walking b the Modra Yakha River on August 29, 2018. August is a transitional month between summer and winter, since there are just two seasons in Siberia. The men saw a reindeer in distress. It was stuck in deep mud.
8. A Rescue
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“I was passing along the Morda Yakha River in the Bovanenkovo region when I saw an unhappy animal,” said one of the men. “We immediately brought an oar to avoid getting stuck in the mud, rope, tied it to the reindeer’s horns and rescued the animal.”
7. Oar and Rope
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While two of the men prepared their supplies, the third took a video of the rescue. It shows how one man goes up to the reindeer holding an oar. The oar is used to prevent him from getting stuck in the mud, too. The other man leaves to get rope from the truck. This will be used to tie the animal’s antlers.
6. Struggling to Get Free
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The two men then pull on the rope that was tied around the reindeer’s antlers. They had to tug several times and struggle against the mud to keep a foothold. Finally, after several strong movements, they freed the animal’s legs from the mud!
5. Free to Go
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The man then removes the rope from the reindeer’s antler. The reindeer was happy to be freed, but didn’t leave until he had shaken the mud from his legs. The majestic animal needed some help to be on his way, and thankfully the three men knew exactly what to do.
4. Oars Away
Once the men were satisfied that the reindeer as safe, they went back to the mud to get the oars back out of the mud. It is no surprise that the men knew the terrain. Herders in this region have close connections to their reindeer all year long. They are important to all the local people.
3. Rescuing a Deer
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It is all too common for animals to get stuck in the wild. In 2016, Aaron Garney posted a video showing the way his father in law was able to remove a deer that got caught in the mud. That deer was suck in the mud pit and couldn’t move at all. Her rescuers came up with an original way to get her out.
2. An Excavator
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The guys contact an excavator operator to pull the deer out. To accomplish this, the man had to give the excavator operator information from his cell phone, since the operator wasn’t able to get a clear view of the deer.
1. Several Scoops
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It took several scoops with the excavator until one finally secured the young deer. This time the excavator gently picked up the deer, extricating her from the mud, and then dropped her next to the road. Suddenly the deer stood up, realizing she was on steady ground.