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'Santa's reindeer' are being hunted by wolves

Reindeer - Level 0

Reindeer help Santa Claus to deliver presents to children. However, the animals are in danger. Many reindeer are being killed by wolves. Reindeer owners say wolves killed 1,950 reindeer in Finland this year. That is a 70% increase from last year. This increase has upset the natural balance between reindeer and wolves.

A reindeer owner joked about his animals, but he is worried. He said: "These are Santa's reindeer. We are really lucky because Santa needs them for one day, so we can fly them for 364 days." Many people believe the Ukraine War is why there are more wolves. Many wolf hunters in Russia have gone to fight in Ukraine.

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Reindeer - Level 1

Reindeer in Finland help Santa Claus to deliver presents to children all over the world. However, the animals are in danger. More and more reindeer are being killed by wolves. A group of reindeer owners said wolves killed 1,950 reindeer this year. That is a 70 per cent increase from last year. A reindeer owner is worried about his animals. He said the increase in the number of wolves has upset the natural balance between reindeer and wolves.

The reindeer owner joked about his animals, even though he is worried. He said: "These are Santa's reindeer. We are really lucky because Santa needs them for only one day, so we can fly them for 364 days." Many people believe the Ukraine War is why there are more wolves. Many hunters in Russia have gone to fight in Ukraine. More wolves are moving from Russia to Finland. This means there are fewer wolf hunters.

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Reindeer - Level 2

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Reindeer in Lapland, Finland, are famous worldwide. That's because they help Santa Claus to deliver presents to children all over the world. However, the animals are in danger. Reindeer owners report that increasing numbers of reindeer are being killed by wolves. A reindeer association said wolves killed around 1,950 reindeer this year. That is a 70 per cent increase from last year. Juha Kujala, a reindeer owner, is worried about his animals. He said there has been a sudden increase in the number of wolves in Finland. This has upset the natural balance between reindeer and wolves.

Mr Kujala joked to reporters about his animals, even though he is worried. He said: "These are Santa's reindeer. We are really lucky because Santa needs them for only one day of the year, so we can fly them for the other 364 days." Many owners believe the Ukraine War is the reason why there are more wolves. They say that hunters in Russia have gone to fight in Ukraine. This means more wolves are crossing the border between Russia and Finland. Kujala said: "It's worse since the Ukraine War started.…There's nobody left hunting the wolves."

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Reindeer - Level 3

Reindeer in the region of Lapland, Finland, are famous worldwide. They are also very busy at this time of year. That's because they are helping Santa Claus to deliver presents to children all over the world. However, the animals are facing a great danger. Reindeer herders report that an increasing number of reindeer are being killed by wolves. The Reindeer Herders' Association in Finland says wolves have killed around 1,950 reindeer this year. That is a 70 per cent increase from last year. Juha Kujala, a Lapland herder, is worried about the future of his animals. He said there has been a sudden increase in the number of wolves in Finland. This has upset the natural balance between reindeer and wolves.

Mr Kujala joked to reporters about his animals, even though he is worried about them. He said: "These are Santa's reindeer. But we are really lucky because Santa needs them for only one day of the year, so we can fly them for the other 364 days." Many herders believe the Ukraine War is the reason why there are suddenly more wolves in Finland. They say that men who used to hunt wolves in Russia have gone to fight in Ukraine. This means many wolves are crossing the 1,340-km border between Russia and Finland. Kujala said: "It's worse since the Ukraine War started. The wolves are coming from the Russian side. There's nobody left hunting the wolves."

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