itei
Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer saves the day in
the popular holiday song.
Now it's reindeer that could
use some help.
Reindeer are fighting for
survival. Today, there are
half as many of them in
the world as there were 100
years ago. Many scientists
say that habitat loss and
warmer temperatures are
to blame.
No Place to Live
Reindeer, also known as
caribou, live throughout
.
NORTH
. POLE
Arctic *
Ocean
^
^
il
~ ^
Greenland
(DENMARK)
Key
9 Range of
reindeer
the icy tundra and snowy
forests of the Arctic region.
(see map). But the places
they call home are being
taken over by people.
Logging, mining, and the
building of new roads have
driven many reindeer herds
out of areas in the United
States, Canada, and Russia.
Polar Problem
To make matters
worse for reindeer, the
Arctic climate is heating
up. Because of warmer
temperatures, the area
now often gets freezing
rain instead of snow. That
makes it harder for reindeer
to get their food.
A reindeer's winter diet is
lichen (LYE-ken). It grows
on rocks and in the soil.
Freezing rain covers lichen
with ice. Reindeer can't
dig through ice with their
hooves. If they can't reach
their food, they can starve.
That's not good news for
many Arctic communities
either. People there rely on
reindeer for food, clothing,
and transportation.
Reindeer are also
important parts of the
Arctic food chain. Fewer
reindeer can mean less
food for predators, such as
wolves and bears.
Reindeer Rescue
Government leaders
in the U.S. recently took
action to help the hooved
animals. They approved
a plan to protect parts of
Alaska where reindeer live.
"Reindeer are a symbol
of the north," says wildlife
expert Justina Ray. "If we
take care of them, we'll be
taking care of other Arctic
animals too."
Words to Know
A boy drives a sled pulled by reindeer in Russia.
habitat: a place where animals
and plants live
tundra: treeless land that is
frozen for most ofthe year
climate: the usual weather in
a place
communities: groups of people
who live in the same area
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