"REINDEER IN MICHIGAN" 



By Albert StoU, Jr., 



Secretary, Conservation Commission of Michigan 



^^p EINDEER for Michigan?" "Another good man 

 -'* gone wrong." "It can't be done; they'll starve 

 to death ; wrong kind of food, no reindeer moss in 

 that State and then the hot summers will wipe them 

 out." "Just a waste of money and another fool experi- 

 ment." "We don't want to discourage you, but rein- 

 deer will not live and thrive in a temperate climate. 

 Their's is a home of snows, hills and mountains. A 

 land covered with moss. The Federal Government's 

 experiments and those of Stefansson in the barren 

 ground ought to convince you of this." 



When the Norwegian steamer Bergensfjord tied up 

 at her wharf in New York City, March 10th of this 

 year, the rather skeptical crowd of interested reindeer 

 experts were there to greet her, for on board were 60 

 Norwegian reindeer consigned to the Department of 

 Conservation of Michigan and forming the nucleus of 

 an experiment in reindeer propagation in that State. 

 Of course, one expected to hear such remarks as "it 

 can't be done" for it never had been done. However, 

 in the face of the most discouraging advice the De- 



partment of Conservation decided the experiment at 

 least would be worth while. 



A Promising Lot Of Animals 



Here was the State with literally tens of thousands 

 of acres of cutover land; land lying idle; land upon 

 which agricultural experiments had proven a failure; 

 land that in part had been used in attempting to 

 raise sheep and fatten stock, but land that for six 

 months of the year was snow-covered. Stock raising 

 had not proven a success and winter feeding proved 

 too expensive, so then here was an opportunity to in- 

 troduce into these lands of Michigan, an animal semi- 

 domesticated; hardy and fully capable of taking care 

 of itself twelve months of the year. 



Quite true, no successful experiments had been con- 

 ducted in propagating reindeer in a temperate climate, 

 however, this was no reason why it should be doomed 

 to failure before the attempt was made. It was no 

 reason why the succulent grasses and wild forage crops 

 of our Northern Peninsula would not raise to healthy 



THE IIEUI) OF SIXTY KEIXDEEK IMPORTED FROM NORWAY TO MICHIGAN I,AST MARCH IS TODAY A FAMILY 

 OF EIGHTY-ONE, AND A FINER LOT OF ANIMALS CANNOT BE FOUND ANYWHERE. THIS PICTURE SHOWS FIVE 

 YOUNG REINDEER BORN IN MICHIGAN AND THEIR FATHER, IMPORTED FROM NORWAY. 



