Facts you need to know about reindeer – from Twyford’s Riverways Farm

Riverways Farm on the A4 between Twyford and Maidenhead is home to 5,000 free range hens, goats, pigs and alpacas – plus five rescued reindeer from the Arctic Circle.

These creatures of legend have been residing at the picturesque farm for over a decade now and are living out a long and happy life ‘in retirement’ (when not pulling the sleigh for the big man in red).

Ordinarily, Riverways Farm is known for its 4,500 eggs produced daily by owner Andrew Cardy’s free range hens, but
recently he has become ‘Mr Reindeer’ a local expert on the animals that delight children and Christmas fair-goers each December.

“It all started years ago when I met someone who was going out to Norway to save reindeer from the cull in the Arctic Circle,” said Andrew.

“Reindeer is often the only meat on the menu there. So we bought four from him so effectively we had rescued them.”

Riverways’ reindeer are just as busy as Santa’s for six weeks of the year and for the remaining 46 they help to keep paddocks and trees maintained.

Initially this was the plan – to rescue reindeer and let them enjoy a longer than average life on the farm. But a different plan evolved.

“A local headteacher rang me up one day and asked me to take the reindeer to the school and it went from there,” said Andrew.

He has an  incredibly busy Christmas season where he takes Jet, Flash, Chilly, Tornado and Blizzard on tour.

“We mainly visit primary schools and deliver a really fun but highly educational talk that everyone loves,” he said.

Part of that talk involves
dispelling the myths about reindeer such as – spoiler alert –  they don’t eat carrots.

Andrew said: “I was at a school a few weeks ago and every child came out with a tiny carrot baton to give them. We don’t like to disappoint so we say reindeers eat carrots on Christmas Eve as a treat.

“We tell the children that reindeer eat leaves, grass and moss and ask them to leave those out instead.”

Understandably, the children are a bit miffed at this break in tradition until Andrew drops a little bit of Christmas magic:

“I ask the children: ‘Do you know why moss grows on the roofs of houses?” and they will say ‘no’ so I say: “It’s so that when Santa lands his sleigh the reindeer have something to eat.”

For more ‘scientific’ audiences, Andrew delivers fascinating facts about reindeer from their herd behaviour to their magnificent ability to regrow antlers.

“Everybody gets a buzz out of the facts we tell them,” he said.

Top of the list of facts are about  reindeer hooves (the other name for reindeer is caribou, which translates as ‘snow shoveler’), how their eyes are on the sides of their heads to search for predators and how their ears swivel for the same reason.

They have a double-layer coat that helps them survive in minus 40 weather and they see in UV which means they can detect when wolves and polar bears are near as well as see their favourite food, lichen, glow in the dark and snow.

Andrew’s favourite facts
are around the antlers and that reindeer have a secret
language.

“They communicate in their back legs. They have two ligaments that move across each other and make a snapping sound.

“The herd leader has the most pronounced ‘click’ so when they are migrating he decides when they get up and go and everybody will be
following that click – even in thick snow.”

Antlers are used for protection from predators, to search for food or when they are trying to sort out hierarchy.

Everyone wants to know about the antlers, Andrew said, because of the fact that they ‘fall off’.

“They’re a bit like teeth.  They fall off when new ones grow underneath. Within 12 weeks they regrow their antlers – it’s the fastest
regrowing bone known to man. There’s a lot of scientists at the moment trying to establish exactly how it is that that bone can regenerate so fast. If we can somehow harness that as human beings going forward that would be amazing.”

As well as the fun facts, Andrew leaves children with an important message: the ice caps are melting and the reindeer’s home is under threat.

“Numbers are declining in the Arctic because of climate change and this is one of the things we talk to children about.

“We say: ‘Guys, you can all play a part in helping to stop this. You can recycle tonight, you can encourage your parents to turn off the lights and plant trees. Together we can stop the reindeer’s territories from becoming smaller.’”

But for the really little ones, it’s all about keeping the magic of Christmas alive, for those short six weeks at least.

“A lot of children ask: “Are these Santa’s reindeer?” and I answer: ‘Well, no they’re not, they live on Riverways Farm, but Santa is a very good friend of mine and he’ll be borrowing them on Christmas Eve’.

“But I always add in: ‘Only if you’re on the good list’ and suddenly they all sit up and
behave.”