Did you know Santa’s reindeer are certified right here in Utah? Meet the Utah County veterinarian who is one of the world’s only reindeer reproductive specialists.
Issac Bott works as a Utah County vet by day, but in his free time, he helps treat and artificially inseminate reindeer around the world, propping up the threatened species’ population.
Reindeer are a threatened species, and Bott uses artificial insemination to help prop up the global population and keep domestic herds genetically diverse. With the help of his own seven reindeer, he’s brought several dozen more of the “magical” animals into existence the past 10 years. The problem: His herd’s birth rates were not as high as they should’ve been, in part because uncastrated male reindeer can be extremely violent during mating season, which can put herders in danger if they choose to let the reindeer reproduce naturally.
“Caribou crossed over on the land bridge thousands and thousands of years ago, and reindeer were actually brought by boat in the beginning of 1892 from Siberia to Alaska,” Bott said. Regardless of when they are bred, female reindeer in a herd will give birth at the same time, and are able to shorten or lengthen their gestation periods to synchronize with their migrations, Bott said.
“With the world, how modern everything is, that certainly is declining,” Bott said, “and that’s sad.”On Dec. 2, Bott visited Utah State University with two of his reindeer — nicknamed Comet and Cupid — for the university’s “Reindeer Express” event. He and other veterinarians certified the two animals for their flight with Santa as dozens of children looked on in awe and their parents snapped photos.
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