MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Too few Falklands female reindeer
The reindeers transported from South Georgia to the Falkland Islands at a cost of £154,000 (230-thousand dollars) will not reproduce as rapidly as hoped as too few of them are females.
An article in the London Times newspaper, headlined "Falklands Plan to cash in on Whalers' Reindeer", says that of the 58 young reindeer , only 25 are females. It quotes Agriculture Director Bob Reid as saying "We caught too many males, unfortunately".
The article says the reindeer "may form the basis for a new industry: venison exports from the South Atlantic". It says the fawns are thriving, feeding on fenced land (at Saladero) where Mr Reid is experimenting with legumes to enrich the poor pasture.
The Times says the Falklands experiment will give the world valuable genetic variety as the South Georgia stock are the only reindeer without radioactivity in their bones since they were not exposed to the Soviet Chernobyl explosion radiation fall-out which poisoned the northern hemisphere reindeer habitat.
The imported animals are from two herds totalling about 2,000 roaming wild in South Georgia, originating from 17 reindeer introduced by Norwegian whalers in 1911 and 1925 as a source of meat.
Though the reindeer are protected by a Conservation Order, a South Georgia Government environmental plan advocates eradication of all or a major part of the reindeer to reverse damage to native vegetation from over-grazing.
Harold Briley, London
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