In Anchorage, Alaska, a beloved and iconic reindeer was euthanized last week after an unknown person(s) tampered with the animal’s cage and is suspected of having poisoned him.
It has been an Anchorage tradition since the 1950s to have a pet reindeer. Star was the seventh reindeer to live with one of the Anchorage pioneers. Star had his own Facebook page and attracted visitors; he was frequently featured in parades and other public events.
According to Star’s caretaker, Albert Whitehead, he didn’t have a solid explanation as to why the reindeer was euthanized, except to report the eight-year-old reindeer had lived in a fenced in pen attached to Whitehead’s house along a very busy street, and since the beginning of the year, someone had been tampering with the friendly reindeer’s enclosure.
In one instance, a person was able to get inside Star’s pen and since then the reindeer had been losing weight. In February, the gate was left open in the middle of the night, and Star had been found wandering the streets. A strange substance was later found sprayed in the animal’s fenced area.
Since February, Star had been suffering from a persistent cough which soon turned into pneumonia. He had been throwing up through his nose which affected his breathing as the matter was sucked back into his lungs. At first it was speculated that Star had eaten a plastic bag on the night he escaped which could have caused his stomach ailments.
Recently Star had recovered from the pneumonia, but a sudden relapse resulted in his critical condition. Star was euthanized on Tuesday.
A necropsy has been ordered.
It is not known if another reindeer will follow in Star’s hoofprints; if there is someone intentionally poisoning these friendly animals, it wouldn’t be right.
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