25/12/2023
Merry Christmas - From Rudolph 🦌🎄🎅
This year I got a chance to visit a special place on Earth - Mongolia. This faraway land is home to some of the rarest creatures on Earth. I was extremely lucky to have seen most of them, including reindeer. Infact petting this reindeer was one of the most surreal experiences. Their fur is thick and spongy, almost as if a dog's, which felt quite incredible and surprising to me. Extremely patient and quiet, quite like the Indian cows they were chewing on their cud.
The reindeer herders are a nomadic tribe that rears these animals in the northern most part of Mongolia. The animals are herded from one location to another throughout the entire year depending on food availability. The herders live in conical huts made of animal hide and forest tree trunks that are easy to install and dismantle. Children are fed meat, milk and bread mostly. Reindeers are treated like family members and never slaughtered unless dire need arises. In winter the families move closer to Lake which is where we found them.
Every year the reindeers shed their antlers. The herders carves out beautiful art on these antlers and sell these as souvenirs.
