News Blog 75% of reindeer display stress indicators in footage from UK Christmas events 03-02-25 During last year’s festive season, our team, our supporters and fellow animal welfare groups captured footage of reindeer at eight Christmas events across the UK. Despite being native to the Arctic Tundra, across the UK each year, reindeer are displayed in small enclosures at garden centres, used in Christmas parades and even made to pull a sleigh down busy high streets. They may be exposed to loud noises, bright lights, crowds of people and music - an environment that is a far cry from the wilderness of the Artic Tundra. Together with our partners at Animal Aid, Born Free, and Freedom for Animals, we obtained photographs and videos that we shared with Dr. Tayla Hammond, an expert in animal welfare and behavior, for analysis to identify potential welfare concerns. Significantly, Hammond noted that 75% of the reindeer in the footage showed stress indicators, such as trembling or avoidance. What did we find? Together with Animal Aid, Born Free, Freedom for Animals and our supporters, we attended a total of eight events featuring live reindeer: Merry Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire Ashton Lane Winter Wonderland, Glasgow Dunfermline, Fife Paisley’s Big Christmas Weekend, Renfrewshire Wolverhampton’s Christmas lights switch-on Lancaster’s Reindeer Day, Lancashire Collier Row Christmas Event, Romford Bury St Edmunds Christmas Spectacular The footage documented various aspects of the events, including transport to the event, the display environment, reindeer behaviour and interactions with the public. Dr Tayla Hammond then analysed the footage an identified the following significant welfare concerns, ultimately concluding that the majority of conditions fell below acceptable welfare standards. Physical environment Stress behaviours, such as pacing and avoidance, were recorded in 50% of reindeer. Calm behaviours were only recorded in 12.5% of reindeer. Space provided for reindeer was considerably restricted in 87.5% of events, with poor ground conditions in 75% and loud noise exposure in 87.5%. Handlers often physically held reindeer in place, forcing interactions with the public and limiting their agency. Behavioural interaction Stress-related behaviours, such as pacing and avoidance, were observed in 50% of events. Opportunities for natural behaviours were severely limited, with these types of behaviours, such as grooming, foraging or resting only observed in 25% of events. In her conclusions, Dr Hammond affirms that while reindeer may appear physically healthy, ‘their welfare is consistently undermined by environments that fail to meet their psychological and behavioural needs’. Hammond also concludes that ‘alternatives to live animal use in entertainment should be explored to reduce reliance on practices that compromise welfare’. Alongside our colleagues at Animal Aid, Born Free and Freedom for Animals, we wrote to 7 of these 8 event organisers ahead of their event, highlighting the negative impact these events can have on reindeer and urging them to reconsider their use of reindeer. What are the potential welfare issues of reindeer displays? The unnatural environments, inability to perform natural behaviours and retreat, and long distance travel can lead to physical and mental suffering. Indeed, last year OneKind commissioned a report by Dr Tayla Hammond, The Welfare Needs of Captive Reindeer Used for Entertainment Events in the UK: a review’, which recommended that the use of reindeer in events is ceased due to welfare concerns. The welfare concerns highlighted in the report included: The unnatural environment and lack of agency associated with these events are likely to lead to distress and a state of poor welfare. Lack of agency and exposure to unrelenting stressors may lead to the development of learned helplessness (a psychological condition which is associated with depression in humans and a wide range of non-human animals, including horses and sheep). The constant, unfamiliar and unpredictable interaction with the public through petting and feeding has the potential to be stressful for reindeer. The event environment presents a variety of stimuli that may be perceived as threats, including loud noises, human ‘predators’ and other animals. While reindeer may express vigilance in response to these threats, they have limited agency to act upon them, thus leading to a state of fear. Long distance travel, repeated loading and unloading and pulling Santa’s sleigh can cause physical and mental fatigue. The stress of transportation and the event environment can compromise immune system function, making them more susceptible to disease and infection. Limited opportunities are presented to conduct natural behavioural interactions with the environment and other animals. Significant progress for reindeer Last October, we gathered 21 animal welfare signatories for our open letter, which we sent to hundreds of events that planned to, or had previously used, live reindeer. Additionally, our dedicated supporters contacted local venues using reindeer. As a result, 7 event organisers cancelled the use of reindeer in their festive celebrations. This means that a total of 209 events that previously featured live animals have since switched to creative, animal-free alternatives. This year, these included VR sleigh rides, animatronic reindeer, and 'reindeer runs,' where people in costumes raise funds for local community causes. Over the last couple of years, we have also secured coverage for our campaign in the media, including articles in The Daily Record and The National. We will continue to work alongside Animal Aid, Born Free and Freedom for Animals to put an end to live reindeer displays throughout the UK. Please donate today and help end reindeer suffering Manage Cookie Preferences