I’m not sure if my parents would have been pleased or disappointed that for as long as I can remember there was only one item on my Christmas wish list. It was as though I had been smitten by Cupid, it wasn’t toys, elves, Santa, or snow that I desired, it was a reindeer. A marvellous beast that would be hearty enough to Prance-r a sleigh through blizzards and by all of the accounts known to my young mind have the ability to fly. For many years I wished and hoped and left carrots out so that I might glimpse these splendid animals. To the credit of my creative parents after years of asking I finally got my wish of a real live reindeer in the form of a caribou sponsorship at the Calgary Zoo.

Yes caribou and reindeer are considered the same species Rangifer tarandus. There are seven subspecies in the world, but what is it that makes them fit for work with Santa? Perhaps it is their ability to Donn-er I mean, grow thick woolly winter undercoats and long hollow insulating overcoats. This not only allows them the ability to stay warm in the cold but also helps them stay afloat when they are Blitzen through frigid river crossings. A perfect fit for arctic life.

Maybe Santa saw the potential of their adaptive hooves. In summer they are soft and widespread but in the winter months they thicken, hollow out, and grow insulated hair between the toes. This protects the hooves and stops them from slipping on those icy rooftops. More importantly the hardened toes help them Dash-r through snow and ice to get at their lichen food source below. Caribou have an amazing sense of smell and can smell lichen through up to five feet of snow. If you are a jolly old man who lives at the North pole lichen might be the only food source available to your livestock.

Or maybe Santa wished on a Comet for a herd animal that would be able to scare robbers away from his unattended sleigh with a defensive system? Caribou are the only successfully domesticated member of the deer family, and the only ones where both males and females can grow antlers. The males grow their larger antlers to impress the females, so they fall off after the autumn rut to help them survive winter. The females, being Vixens in their own right, don’t grow antlers to impress males but to defend their winter food, which technically means Santa’s reindeer are all females, yes even Rudolph.

But there is one last fact that I am Dancer-ing around about my beloved caribou. Our woodland caribou in Alberta are on the threatened species list. So, its back on my Christmas wish list for the reindeer so that I might one day see them in the Alberta wilderness. However, I can do more than wish; I can also go to the CPAWS website to learn of the threats to Santa’s caribou friends and ways I can help. cpawsnab.org/our-work/wildlife-species-at-risk/caribou-in-alberta/

PS Did you find all nine of Santa’s reindeer in the article? Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Photos by Laura Griffin