The only large herd of wild Kamchatka reindeer, protected in the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, may be delayed in returning from their winter mountain pastures, the reserve told the Kamchatka-Inform news agency.

Typically, the reindeer begin descending to the Kronotsko-Bogachyovskaya tundra in the first ten days of April. But currently, the snow depth there exceeds one meter, making it nearly impossible for them to forage for shrubs, grasses, mosses, and lichens.

Scientists explain that when snow is abundant, the animals stay longer in the mountains, where they can find reindeer moss on windswept ridges. Such areas are quite extensive.

The herd, which now survives only in the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, numbers around 800 individuals. The population is listed in the Russian Red Book of Endangered Species. Since 2024, the reserve has been implementing a project to conserve the rare reindeer in partnership with a charitable foundation.

Photo by Daria Shpilenok