Finland Times

Seven reindeer herders in Rovaniemi area this autumn sprayed or brushed their reindeer’s antlers with a newly invented fluorescent spray to increase their visibility on the road. 

Around 300 female reindeer have been rounded up and sprayed during this second testing under a project implemented by the Reindeer Herders’ Association, said Anne Ollila, executive director of the association. 

According to the association’s statistics, around 3,500-4,500 reindeer are run over by automobiles every year and this project is aimed at reducing the number of such accidents. 

During the first stage of this project 20 reindeer were sprayed this spring with Albedo 100 Reflective Spray developed by the Swedish company Tracklnvent to find out how the spray lasts in different weather conditions and which part of the reindeer body it works best. 

The test found the spry to have “light-reflective properties that stick to most surfaces, and resist wind and rain. The spray is UN-resistant and is durable.” The spray is supposed to help the reindeer get through the winter and the antlers will drop anyway when the spring approaches. 

The spray will makes sure that the reindeer’s antlers will not appear any different in daylight or to other animals. The antlers remain the same, gray, if no artificial light is reflected on them, and they become light-reflective only when illuminated.  

According to Anne, there is no way to track the reindeer that have been sprayed. The only way to know the outcomes is when any of the sprayed reindeer dies. They would know by the body. Then investigating into the reasons of death and counting the casualties caused by traffic accidents, they will determine if this project has helped in reducing the casualties. 

The Reindeer Herders’ Association which conceptualized the project found the Swedish company and contacted the individual reindeer herders. Besides that, they are also considering implementing some other warning systems to protect both people and reindeer from crashes, e.g., developing and adopting reindeer navigation apps for mobile phones. 

The project has not received any funding from the government, but the private reindeer herders will pay the fees for their own reindeer, trying to protect their own and then maybe also saving drivers from being hit by reindeer.