Working with Reindeer in Finnmark, Norway

Life in the Arctic has been a source of my curiosity for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I danced to the tune of Baby Beluga, enchanted with the white whale ‘in the deep blue sea’ of the northern polar region. In elementary school, I chose the Arctic fox as my topic for a semester-long research project, captivated by the sly inhabitants of the treeless tundra. Throughout my teenage years, I followed the annual Iditarod Sled Dog Race from Anchorage to Nome, in awe of the hardy teams and courageous mushers. That’s why when I stumbled upon an opportunity to experience Sami culture first-hand and work up close with reindeer in the northernmost county of Norway, I eagerly jumped at the chance. 

As I flew from Oslo to Kirkenes and rode the bus to Varangerbotn, former figments of my imagination meshed with my present-day reality – barren landscapes, soft twilight skies, and an impressively vast wilderness. Once in Varangerbotn, a quaint village in Nesseby Municipality, I was met by my host Ragne who comes from a family of Sami reindeer herders, the indigenous people of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. In addition to the thousands of reindeer living in the mountains year-round, Ragne cares for a select few in an enclosed area on her land during the winter months, an initiative called Skakkerud Rein. With welfare at its heart, Skakkerud Rein takes in any unwanted, neglected, or abandoned reindeer, and I was tasked with feeding, socializing, and walking these gentle creatures.

An average work day looked something like this: morning feeding, afternoon socializing, and nighttime feeding. Towards the end of my stay, I began walking with the reindeer calves as well – sometimes in the AM, othertimes in the PM. Morning feeding consisted of a generous sled of hay for the adult reindeer and a mixture of moss and pellets for the calves. Afternoon socializing meant sitting with the calves and feeding them more moss and pellets from my hands and between my legs – as much a trust exercise for them as it was a test of patience for me, though seeing these once skittish beings feel gradually safer around me was incredibly rewarding. Nighttime feeding involved two large buckets of pellets for the adult reindeer and some handfuls of hay for the youngsters. All in all, I’d say I spent 5 to 6 hours in the field per day.

As for my own meals, I typically had oatmeal for breakfast, bread for lunch, and reindeer for dinner. From reindeer pie and reindeer tacos, to reindeer soup and reindeer tongues (Ragne’s favourite), I tried reindeer meat in all sorts of forms. Regarding accommodation, I slept in a cozy private room in Ragne’s basement, down the hall from a girl named Hannah. Her and I became good friends during my stay, and she taught me quite a lot about caring for the reindeer as well as the dogs. Hannah comes from Australia but had spent the summer with Ragne in Varangerbotn, so she was already familiar with the work and daily routines. For the most part, I was on reindeer duty and Hannah was on dog duty, but we would help each other from time to time… especially when temperatures as low as minus 34 degrees celsius called for strength in numbers.

In terms of dog responsibilities, there was morning feeding and poop scooping, as well as afternoon feeding and exercising – either off-leash playtime or dog sledding, although more often the latter. Ragne and Hannah would each set off with a team, and on a couple of occasions, I got to take the sled out for a spin as well – a lifelong dream of mine! Ragne uses these purebred Siberian Huskies in racing and for tourism through her kennel Vesterelva & Viddashusky, which you can find on both Facebook and Instagram. If you’re looking for an epic Arctic adventure of your own, I highly recommend booking a kennel tour or a husky safari with Ragne, perhaps you can combine it with a visit to the reindeer as well! If you do, give the handsome Hans a cuddle for me, I miss those reindeer nudges.

My photos must have made the Arctic look awfully dreamy, because I’ve never had so many responses to my Instagram stories as I did while I was up north. Even so, some of my favourite moments were those not captured on camera. Like the lingering blue hour followed by the seemingly endless golden hour on my 1-kilometre walk to and from the reindeer enclosure. Dressing in layers so thick I resembled Violet Beauregarde from the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Admiring the polar stratospheric clouds by day and chasing the northern lights by night with my fellow adventurer Hannah. Even that evening we slid into a snowy ditch and had to be rescued by Ragne on her ATV – stressful at the time but all good fun in the end. And of course, selecting a piece of the Arctic to bring home with me, in the form of reindeer skins and bloody antlers from Ragne’s garage.

Thank you Ragne for welcoming me into your home, Hannah for showing me the ropes, and reindeer for teaching me your language. ‘Twas a very special two weeks in the Arctic.

With ♡, Julia Elizabeth