Reindeer steals the show
Parade-goers in Inuvik cheer on a four-legged participant
Elaine Anselmi
Northern News Services
Published Friday, December 19, 2014
INUVIK
His nose may not have been red, but when Addjub the reindeer led Santa's sleigh through the Inuvik Santa Claus Parade on Dec. 14, everyone shouted out with glee.
Addjub the reindeer has a quick snack of lichen while entertaining the crowd after a long walk through Inuvik during the Santa Claus Parade Dec. 14. - Elaine Anselmi/NNSL photo
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The young bull is from Lloyd Binder's partially domesticated herd that ranges in the Mackenzie Delta. The herd of approximately 3,000 reindeer are the product of the Canadian Reindeer Project and Alaska Reindeer Experiment that sought to dissolve a food shortage in the North by bringing members of a Scandinavian herd to the Canadian Arctic. The herd in the Mackenzie Delta came over from Alaska roughly 80 years ago.
Addjub was roped by Henrik Seva and brought to his and handler Anna Johansson's corral in Inuvik earlier this month for training.
In the end, the one-antlered reindeer walked the parade calmly, to the delight of both community members and surely his handlers.
Both Johansson and Seva walked Addjub through the parade ahead of Santa's float, far away from the blaring sirens and flashing lights of the parade's first display by the Fire Department.
As the march wrapped up at the Midnight Sun Complex, Binder, Johannson and Seva watched closely over Addjub as groups of young children came by for a closer look. For his part, Addjub munched calmly on some lichen as the children crowded in for a look at a real life reindeer.
- with files from Shawn Giilk
