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Reindeer Stuffed Toys

Reindeer stuffed toys are a familiar sight on store shelves and in Internet shops when Christmas rolls around. Easily recognized because of their association with Santa Clause and his sleigh, reindeer stuffed toys are quite popular during the holiday season.

In North America reindeer are often referred to as wild caribou, but both are considered one species. They are large members of the deer family and have broad and curved hooves making it easy for them to walk on the ground and in snow. Both males and females grow antlers although on the males, the antlers are used as weapons for fighting rivals during breeding season and as sexual ornaments. The caribou of Alaska are brown in color with white coloring on both their neck and rump. Because of domestication, Chukotkan reindeer have various shades of pelts including combinations of brown, grey, black, and white.

Wild caribou began to be tamed by people in Eurasia many years ago; based on anthropological studies, it has been suggested that this took place 5,000 years ago in the southern Altai mountain region. It very well could be that all domesticated reindeer are descendants of these animals. At that time, tame reindeer were used for pulling sleds, and were even saddled and ridden in some cultures. Attempts today, to tame wild caribou/reindeer have been unsuccessful.

The herding of reindeer today by Native peoples from the Sami in Scandinavia and across northern Eurasia to the Bering Strait, base their economies on this practice. The animals are still used as they once were (pulling sleds and for riding), but they are also used for the commercial sale of meat and hides. Today, in the Russian Republic, there are some 2,250,000 reindeer.

In Asia, different varieties of reindeer have been developed so as to suit specific local conditions and human need. Chukchis have a breed that seems to have been domesticated longer than other [breeds]. While they are not that good at pulling sleds, they are excellent for the production of meat. It is believed that the Chukchis kept large herds of reindeer for both hide and commercial meat due to the arrival of the Russians in the 17th century. Chukotkan herders under the Soviet system were all organized into brigades where they were each responsible for 500 to 2,000 reindeer. On the Chukotsk Peninsula, much larger numbers of reindeer were kept thus making the migration to the west null and void. With no forests to speak of on the peninsula, winter was extremely difficult for the reindeer with nearly half the population succumbing to death in the winter of 1894.

Reindeer stuffed toys are best for display or to play with; they likely would not take too kindly to being ridden unless of course you have one that is designed specifically for that purpose. There are in fact large reindeer stuffed toys that stand as tall as 26 inches and they are sturdy enough for a toddler to sit on.

Reindeer Stuffed

Reindeer Stuffed

Copyright Shelley Vassall, 2010. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.

 

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Making Plush Toys & Stuffed Dolls : Stuffing a Plush Toy