Nature Notes from Norway - rendier- reindeer - rangifer tarandus

Animals in the North, such as reindeer, follow the climate; in summer you find them higher up in the mountains, in winter they move to the lower regions and valleys.
The Norwegian animals are usually very shy. Hunting is often what causes this behaviour. You are likely to find these animals where hunting is prohibited and you may wonder whether the way in which animals are hunted in Norway is rather out-of-date. It depends on how you interpret nature conservation.
In Norway you find reindeer at many different places. There are three different kinds: the wild one, the domesticated one and the intermediate form, the semi-wild variety. Domesticated reindeer are kept like cattle for meat production. Wild reindeer are extremely shy and difficult to approach.
In early spring the reindeers' coat still has a white winter colour. During summer the colour changes into a greyish red.