Every year, the road makes big headlines when it opens to traffic in early summer. In southern Sweden, the snow-capped mountain landscape feels exotic. And for each article, more tourists seek out the stretch of road.
Like a trap
But the land is at the same time calving land for Vilhelmina södra and Voernese Sami villages. The fact that the road is being plowed up already means problems for the Sami villages. The large snow walls along the road become death traps for the reindeer calves.
– Vajan go down the road and the calf follows. But then the calf does not come up on the other side so it becomes a trap pit system, says reindeer herder Thomas Nejne.
He continues:
– When the calf is left alone down the road, then we have the raven, we have the eagle, we have the fox. They take the opportunity to take theirs.
No major disturbance is needed
But the big problem is still the tourists. In recent years, parking stops have been introduced on large parts of the road until 15 July – precisely so as not to disturb the calves. But that does not always help.
– No major disturbance is needed for a willow and a calf to be separated. And then there is the risk that they will not find each other again, says Nejne.
Hear the reindeer herder tell you more about why it is problematic in the clip above.