Reindeer in Norway are dying from lack of food.

According to researcher Ashild Onvik Pedersen, heavy rains in Svalbard in December 2018 made it difficult for animals to find food. Reindeer typically graze everywhere in Svalbard, and in winter they often dig for food in the tundra; they can dig through snow but not through ice.

Researcher Pedersen also suggests that the large number of reindeer dying from lack of food indicates that climate warming is having a strong impact on wildlife in the area, even though these areas are far from populated areas and have been largely untouched by human activity.

Reindeer are herbivores in the Arctic regions. If they were to disappear, stop foraging, stop trampling the grasslands, and stop producing organic fertilizer for the surrounding areas, the landscape would be completely transformed.

Climate change is affecting not only reindeer but also many other animal species such as bears and seals in the Svalbard archipelago. The numbers of these animals have declined drastically due to starvation or difficulties in finding food.

The Phong