Rare white reindeer photographed in Norway
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The reading
A man from Norway has photographed a rare white reindeer calf while on a walk in the north of his country. Mads Nordsveen, 24, from Norway's capital city Oslo was hiking in the mountains at the weekend. While walking through the snow, he spotted a smallish white animal and realized it was a reindeer. Mr Nordsveen said the creature was so white, "he almost disappeared into the snow". Nordsveen described the experience as being "magical" and like a "fairy tale". He said: "The reindeer came to me very close and we looked into each other's eyes. He was very calm when he saw that I did not have bad intentions. He behaved as if he was posing for my photos. He was very curious...like a little explorer."
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The photograph of the reindeer calf has gone viral on social media. It has been liked over 30,000 times since Nordsveen uploaded it on Monday. It is good luck in Scandinavian countries to see a white reindeer. Many people think it is good timing as Christmas is coming. According to folklore, Santa Claus' sleigh is pulled by eight flying reindeer. They help Santa to deliver presents to good children on Christmas Eve. However Santa's reindeer are usually brown. A white reindeer is very rare. Their unusual appearance is caused by a genetic condition that removes colour from their fur. People can mistake such a reindeer for being an albino, but this is not the case. In the USA, reindeer are known as caribou.
Sources:
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46442538
- https://globalnews.ca/news/4726909/rare-white-reindeer-calf/
- https://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/white-reindeer-captured-by-norweigan-photographer-mads-nordsveen-instagram-northern-norway-sami-people/118142
