Nearly 250,000 reindeer to be culled in Russia by Christmas

The current population of 730,000 reindeer in the region of Yamelo-Nenets is 'unsustainable' and throws up risks of fresh outbreak of deadly anthrax disease unless there is a rapid cull. Hence, this region has taken a decision to slaughter a quarter of a million reindeer by Christmas because of over population.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 20 September 2016.

The reindeer will first be electrocuted by a high voltage charge to the forehead. Once immobilized, their antlers will be removed and their throats slit. Blood drained out from the animals are often sold to China for use in traditional medicines, including impotence cures for men.
The region that straddles the Arctic and is larger than France has seen three separate summer outbreaks of anthrax, which led to the death of a 12-year-old boy and 2,349 reindeer. The cause attributed was a hot weather which awoke an infection buried in the permafrost more than 70 years ago.
Incidentally, the region includes the gas-rich Yamal Peninsula and is well-known for its nomadic reindeer herders. There are warnings issued that this traditional way of life, which survived the Soviet era, is now under threat. The reindeer livestock numbers in Yamal are too high and the normal slaughtering season is November and December. THe plans that have been drawn up envisage a huge increase in the number of reindeer being killed.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Disneyland bans 25 things including selfie sticks in all its locations

Hillary Clinton has pneumonia - she fell ill at September 11 memorial

Lord Ganesh's laddu weighing 21-Kg auctioned for Rs 14.65 in Hyderabad


Moody wants Gold medals from Olympics (satire)

Didi and her BMW dreams (satire)

Goddess Durga and her kids wait for the annual bash (satire)


Suicide bomb attack in Pakistani mosque during Friday prayers kill at least 25

Security beefed up for Munich Oktoberfest 2016

29 people injured in an explosion in New York - no evidence of any terror link


Shah Rukh's 'Fan' and Salman Khan's 'Sultan' to be screened at Busan International Film Festival

Sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy to release in US theaters on May 5, 2017

London-born singer Skepta wins the 25th Mercury prize fr his album Konnichiwa