Live reindeer as entertainment should be banned from Christmas events in Scotland after footage from festive celebrations last year showed animals in distress, campaigners said.
Welfare groups have united to demand an end to the practice following events in Milngavie, Glasgow, Dunfermline and Paisley which used the creatures. Dr Tanya Hammond, an animal welfare expert they consulted, said three quarters of the animals in video footage displayed “stress indicators” like trembling or avoidance.
Just one in eight of the captive reindeers behaved calmly, and most weren’t able to carry out natural behaviours like grooming, foraging or resting. The video from eight events across the UK last Christmas, including four in Scotland, was shared with Dr Hammond by pro-animal charities OneKind, Animal Aid, Born Free and Freedom for Animals.
The Scottish events were Merry Milngavie in East Dunbartonshire, Ashton Lane Winter Wonderland in Glasgow, the Dunfermline Christmas lights switch-on in Fife and Paisley’s Big Christmas Weekend in Renfrewshire. Other welfare issues highlighted by Dr Hammond included restricted space, exposure to loud noise and poor ground conditions.
And she found handlers often physically held reindeer in place, forcing them to interact with the public. In her conclusions, Dr. Hammond recommended alternatives to live animal use in entertainment should be explored to avoid compromising their welfare.
Charities say most festive event organisers in the UK have now switched to animal-free alternatives like VR sleigh rides and animatronic reindeer – but insist those who still use live reindeer must change their approach. OneKind’s head of campaigns Eve Massie Bishop said: “The evidence is clear – reindeer did suffer in at least some of the UK’s Christmas celebrations last year.
“The UK public is a nation of animal lovers. We don’t think they would want to celebrate the season of festive joy at an event that knowingly risks compromising the welfare of reindeer.
“Reindeer are majestic animals that belong in the vast wilderness of the Arctic Tundra, not on high streets, in town centres or narrow, busy lanes lined with bars.” Isobel McNally, campaigns officer at Freedom for Animals, said: “The conditions documented by the team and analysed by Dr Hammond are known contributors to stress, which can have extremely negative psychological and physical consequences.
“Nobody needs to see a suffering reindeer locked in a tiny pen to have a good Christmas. It is time, in light of all this evidence, that this practice is finally brought to an end.”
Nina Copleston-Hawkens, Animal Aid campaign manager, said: “It is hard to imagine how stressful these events must be for reindeer – taken to a busy environment, surrounded by unfamiliar sights and smells and excitable people demanding interaction, and so often a long and gruelling journey away from where they live.”
Born Free’s captivity research & policy manager Chris Lewis added: “We urge event organisers to make the progressive decision to join the 200+ events which no longer feature reindeer and adopt fun animal-free activities for all the family.”
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