Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-12-20
REINDEER IN NEWFOUNDLAND
Present Object to Increase Herd.
Now Numbers About 500
May Replace Dogs Latcr-Obtain Their
Own Tood-Are Worth Six or Seven
Dogs as Beasts OF Burden.

Though perhaps most Of US, young and
old, associate reindeer chiefly with Santa's
jingling bells at Christmas time, still
there are, besides the dear familiar.
phantom reindeer, the very real reindeer
who are serving a very real and much
needed mission among the poole Of the
far north. among whom DR.. Wilfred #.
Grenfell works and lives his life of
brotherly aid and uplift.
About six years ago DIR. Grenfell inn
ported from Labrador a herd of reindeer.
numbering about four hundred which,
during their six years in Newfoundland,
have increased to somewhere between
seven hundred and thousand. The idea
Of bringing them from their native lap
land was suggested to DR.. Grenfell by
the great abundance of reindeer moss
in Newfoundland. The reasons for the
experiment are many and far-reaching.
says Mary NJ. Davis in Our Dumb AMI
mails.
The reindeer are valuable, not only for
their rich and delicious milk-which would
be a boon indeed to the dwellers Of that
northern part of Newfoundland in which
DR.. Grenfell works-but also are inralu-
able as beasts of burden. In every way
they are as we'll adapted to the require
ments of the North as are the Komatik
solute menace to the development of the
country.
In winter. especially. the Komatik dogs
are dangerously near the verge of plain
wolfdom. Always sparingly fed. their
sharp appetites lead them to destroy all
animal life which might be food for them
Thus. under present conditions. it is
impossible for the natives to keep pigs
chickens, or any other domestic animals
which, in the absence of the wolfish dogs
would flourish and would add intellectually
to the wealth, well-being and resources
of their owners. The dogs are far more
expensive to feed than are the reindeer
since the deer are capable Of finding their
own food and the dogs are not. Another
argument in favor OF the reindeer is their
great strength-one deer being able to dc
easily the work Of six or seven sledge
dogs. Also reindeer pelts are of great
value. as they can be turned to a great
variety of useful ends. The fur Is very
thick and warm and from 1t are made in
valuable rugs. clothing. caps and boots.
At the time DR.. Grenfell imported the
reindeer, he had brought over with them
two or three families Of Laplanders. with
their own Lapland dogs, who from ex-
perience understood the needs and habits
of the deer. These Laplanders have grad
ually trained Labrador natives in the
proper care of the deer. At present, the
deer must be carefully herded to insure
their safety from the attacks of the
Komatik dogs-an expense to be avoided
only by the abolishing of the dogs. In
Lapland. there are attacking wolves, and
the reindeer are always instinctively on
guard against them in Newfoundland, on
the other hand, there are no wolves-a
condition of affairs very soon learned by
the reindeer who emboldened by this lack
of danger, wander or. thus making ii
imperative to herd them. The ,Lapland
dogs are invaluable In the care of the
reindeer. as they herd them as faithfully
their sheep.
Reindeer feed ON reindeer moss, which
Is .o much more abundant In Newfound-
land than in Lapland that the deer in their
new surroundings are almost twice as
large as in Lapland. Although the moss
4. 40 n hundant, the reindeer are SO dainty
in the matter of their feeding that they
refuse tn eat anything that has once been
ira mnIed over: thus 1t Is necessary to keen
,hem constantly on the move. Even in
winter they are able to paw through the
snow and find the moss. In their wild
and untrammeled state, they are quite
ahIe to forage for their own food but
Of course when they are used as beasts
NJ burden. they are treated as such and
the extra burden of finding their own food
Ia not nut upon them In such cases. the
raindeer moss IL gathered and dried and
tad 10 the deer az hay In fed to horses
| A vet, however. little has been done
| either in the way of making use OF
| .ha,r milk or In their use as beasts of
| s',-aan IN replace the komatik dogs. the
prime object having oeen to let the herd
n railkad. y " carefully lassoed from tn