Anyone who has visited Skansen recently has probably noticed that the reindeer are missing. Instead, guests are greeted by metal fences and redevelopment.
The reindeer enclosure next to the Sami habitat will now be home to the endangered forest reindeer as part of a Finnish re-establishment project. The wild reindeer were exterminated in Sweden at the end of the 19th century but live freely in Russian Karelia and Finland.
Skansen works with conservation projects for the majority of animal species and wants to use the loot to support the work with the deployment of wild reindeer in Finland.
– It feels like a natural step to change because we already have an existing enclosure, says Linda Törngren, head of the animal care unit at Skansen.
The reindeer enclosure at the zoo consisted of a reindeer herd of six individuals, three of which have been relocated to a zoo in Järvsö. Two older calves and a calf have been euthanized for animal welfare reasons, according to Törngren.
Sami residence remains
Tame reindeer were already at Skansen when it opened in 1891. Saemien Sïjte, the Sami residence at Skansen, was built in 1920 but moved to its current location and was rebuilt in 2006. When the zoo opened, a Sami family was hired to exhibit at the site, something that was later heavily criticized.
Now the residence is located next to the reindeer fence and mainly consists of a Southern Sami log cabin, a turf cabin and two storage sheds.
– The switch to wild reindeer will not affect Sami living as such, but we adjust our stories when the environment changes, says Eva Ramberg, head of the cultural history department at Skansen.
Wild reindeer will move into the zoo in 2025.