Newport Council urged to discontinue live reindeer in Christmas events

A request has been made for a town in Shropshire to discontinue the use of live deer during its Christmas festivities. Newport Town Council intends to feature a lantern parade, a fun fair, and an appearance by Santa accompanied by his reindeer as part of its lights switch-on ceremony scheduled for 22 November. However, the council has received correspondence from a concerned resident, asserting that such events may induce stress in the animals. The letter stated, “No reindeer should suffer for festive entertainment.” The author of the letter highlighted that 44 other events, which had previously incorporated live animals, conducted deer-free celebrations “with much success” during the previous year. The correspondence detailed: “The unnatural environment, inability to exhibit natural behaviour, constant and unpredictable interactions, long distance travel, repeated loading and unloading, and the stress of pulling Santa’s sleigh” collectively result in distress, fear, and mental fatigue for the animals. Furthermore, it mentioned that veterinarians have voiced concerns regarding the appropriateness of reindeer for captivity, concluding with: “I kindly ask that you also reconsider your decision to display these animals. No reindeer should suffer for festive entertainment.” Members of the town council are scheduled to deliberate on the letter during their upcoming meeting. This report was compiled by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, an entity that covers councils and other public service organizations. For updates, follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external sites. Information regarding our approach to external linking is available.