Reindeer

The first met to them was on the way to Pello from Rovaniemi even though at Rovaniemi they have plenty of reindeer but they are using for tourism. Summer season in particular, they are living in a forest and they will get back to their home in winter time. That's why I couldn't even one reindeer during for two days at Rovaniemi.

The day when I met to a reindeer was the day when I left to Pello. The reindeer was in a fence but it was open to a forest. It is not easy to find Reindeers if I just riding on a bike but I finally could find it! As soon as I saw that one, I was dropped from my bike and started to take a picture. I was really exited!! Even I called it "Ton-chan", that was a stuffed reindeer at my house. However, the reindeer was so shy even he/she couldn't get run way but trying to leave from me with kept eye watching. Then, I follow it as the same pace that I was watching. But reindeers are used to walking in a forest and I finally lost it and stopped to follow. Otherwise, it might be get lost and hard to back.

The next day, to Pellow I saw a group of reindeers, that was 4-5 in the morning. They were walking in a forest and trying to pass the road of asphalt. When I saw them, they were also a little bit afraid of me and fast to move. But when I stopped to take some pictures they also stopped to see what I was doing on the road. So nice! After few seconds, a car came from the opposite direction. Then, they started to move into the forest.

Yesterday from Pello to came up to Kolari, I also saw some reindeer in a camp site inside a fence. Even that camp site itself didn't work but they are just living in. One of a reindeer which I saw in there was white and some were children. They were quite friendly to me. When I approach to them to a fence they came to me and say "hello". They didn't be afraid of me what I was doing (normally I just take a picture) . At the camp site, there were no one insight that was free park to see reindeer as it were. After taking some rest, I said "good-bye" to them, they were kept looking with lovely eyes.

Then, today I saw also a group of reindeers near the road to Kittila. I thought that they would be run away if I try to approach them as I did before. That's why I started to think what is the best way to approach them. Firstly, I tried to them feel safe to have some distance to. When I off from my bike, they noticed that I stopped. Then, I sitting on the road to be able to tell them I am not stranger! Even I tried to do so, one of reindeer stood up and to watch me what that stranger is, probably. Maybe, that reindeer, white one was the leader of the group. And then, after few minute, I started to approach them to walk with my leg and hand as baby do. That was the 30m to them. But they noticed that a stranger tried to approach us and other reindeer also stood up and to watch me. Finally, they started to walk to the different direction which I was coming. I didn't move at that moment. And then they stopped to move to look me again. I started to take some pictures and finally they came to the road and cross it to the other side.

Almost every day that I have a chance to see it but I still need a time to make a good friendship with them. Normally, they make a small group and walking in a forest to eat some glass and take some rest. As for their meat, only once when I was in Helsinki, I ate the meat of it. That was dry meat and taste was quite light but it taste like good with beer, anyway. Another way is that we can also buy from a shop the canned meat or meat, which is same as cow and chikin, probably (Both I never done). By the way , it was so cute and I still didn't have a chance to buy stuffed reindeer but I have already decided the name of it, that is Poro, means reindeer in Finnish. Some people say that reindeer is one of a foolish animal but I don't think that is from my experience. I will try to take a picture with them, that must be good memory in Finland!

Yuji @ Kittila

PS. A friend of my host in Kittila has been to Japan in this summer and I saw some pictures which she took in Japan. One of the picture showed deer in Nara park. That was very friendly to people and they have also nice horn than I thought! It is not a big differences between them.
However, the value of reindeer is that they are living in a forest at one of the coldest place in the world and it is not easy to see like those deers in the park. Or should I make some "reindeer-sembei" in Finland?