“We believe all reindeer were killed as a result of one single powerful lightning strike, because of the way they were positioned. The animals stay close together in bad weather and these ones were hit by lightning”.
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According to the Guinness Book of Records, the deadliest lightning strike involving livestock occurred in 2005, when 68 cows were killed in Australia.
So yep, with the insane amount of rain seeping into the already fast-thawing ground, those lightning rod legs, and that steadfast pack mentality, these poor reindeer had a whole lot going against them that day.
Cattle, deer, elephants rhinos and giraffes have all been reported killed by lightning, though not in massive number like the reindeer and sheep. A spokesman told the Associated Press it’s not unusual for reindeer to cluster together during poor weather, though its uncommon for this many to be killed by lightning at once.
While park officials said it was not unusual for the occasional animal to be struck by lightning, the magnitude of Friday’s incident was nearly unprecedented.
ABC News indicates that the plateau is home to tens of thousands of reindeer, “the largest population of wild reindeer in Norway”. Five of the animals had to be euthanized according to officials.
Officials surmised that an extremely high discharge of electricity from the storm on Friday – and the interaction of the lightning with the earth and water – had electrocuted the animals. They were probably standing close to each other when lightning struck.
This, he added, could explain how so many were killed at once. The government estimates that about 2,000 reindeer live in the area. A wildlife biologist discovered the bull, bloodied and emaciated, in the summer of 2013. “We’re going to decide soon whether to let nature run its own course or whether we will do something”, he said.
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Sparky the bison in early 2016.
