Cairngorms: Reindeer disappears for two weeks after being attacked and chased by dog
The eight-month-old went missing on January 4 and despite rangers from the Cairngorm National Park searching extensively for days, they were unable to find her.
Thankfully on Sunday, Fez found her way home after her ordeal, but now her future is unclear as she is suffering from a number of injuries inflicted by the dog that hunted her.
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Hide AdSharing the incident on the The Cairngorm Reindeer Herd Facebook page, the rangers said it is “far from a certainty that she will recover”.
The post read: “She has a deep bite wound on her neck, inflicted by a dog, multiple areas on her haunches where the fur has been ripped out, and must have been pursued for a long distance to push her so far away that it took this long for her to return.”
The rangers estimate that the reindeer in the free-ranging herd are chased by dogs almost every day, usually getting lucky and outrunning them, but still facing an enormous amount of stress.
Police Scotland have issued several warnings in the past as part of its campaign against animal worrying, reminding dog owners that they could face prosecution if their pets worry livestock.
However, the rangers pointed out that as reindeer are not classed as livestock they are not protected under the law in the same way animals such as sheep and cattle are, which is why they took the opportunity to share the message that dog owners must be careful, even out in the hills.
The post continued: “It’s not the dog’s fault – it was following its natural instincts.
"But it is the fault of the person who brought that dog into the wild, natural habitat of the Cairngorm mountains and didn’t then keep it under control.”
Animal worrying can have serious, and often deadly results, with many victims getting bitten like Fez, or being injured while trying to run away.
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In 2020 one of the females in the Cairngorm Reindeer Herd had to be euthanised after she broke her leg fleeing from a dog. This incident left a three-month-old calf orphaned.
The post concluded by reminding owners to be vigilant while out to avoid similar instances being repeated in the future.
It read: “We want everyone to enjoy the countryside, including dogs, but too often this seems to be at the expense of our reindeer, plus of course all the wildlife – mountain hares, roe deer, ground nesting birds…
"Your dog should always be where you can see it, and unless you can guarantee it will listen to you and come back if a hare erupts under its nose, then it should be on a lead. You may feel that your dog means no harm and just ‘wants to play’ but for the quarry the result is fear, pain and sometimes death.
"Please think, and take responsibility when out in the countryside.”