Reindeer, Maine Deer?

Reindeer

Freeway the reindeer, a fixture of local holiday festivities, sadly passed away this year. Candis Veilleux, co-owner of Waterville’s Pony X-Press petting zoo, reports that Freeway’s reindeer friends, Bo and Anna, will take over the spread of Christmas cheer. Once upon a time, though, Santa’s sleigh guides weren’t such a rare sight in Maine.


Reindeer200%

Growth of Maine’s entire reindeer population in the past year.
Freeway was long the species’ only representative in the state, until Bo and Anna’s recent arrival.

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Max miles per hour reindeer can run. Veilleux notes, however,
that they can’t fly without Santa’s magic.

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Appearances Maine’s reindeer will make at L.L.Bean in Freeport this holiday season. They’ll also trot out at several elementary schools, nursing homes, and community tree lightings.

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Freeway’s age. She was an old lady, surpassing her owners’ expectations by several years. Bo is young blood at 1½, and Anna is 10.

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The last year a native Maine reindeer (or caribou, as they’re often called) was spotted, on the slopes of Mount Katahdin. They were once so numerous in the northern part of the state that a city (Caribou) was named for them.

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Wild reindeer remaining after two attempts, in 1963 and 1989, to reintroduce herds into Baxter State Park. Predators, poachers, and disease were to blame.

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Miles from Waterville to the North Pole, home of Bo and Anna’s other pals — Dasher, Vixen, Donner, et al.

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