Legendary Pet Reindeer in Alaska Mysteriously Falls Ill After Intrusion in His Pen

ANCHORAGE, Alaska—A beloved reindeer, who has participated in parades, appeared in reality TV shows, and welcomed schoolchildren for visits in Alaska’s largest city, is currently battling for his life after mysteriously falling ill due to some tampering with his pen.

For the past few weeks, 8-year-old Star has been suffering from pneumonia, digestive problems, and significant weight loss. His owner, Albert Whitehead, has been taking him to the vet every other day in hopes of identifying the cause of his ailments.

“We’ve done everything we can for him,” Whitehead stated. According to veterinarian Sabrieta Holland, the prognosis for the reindeer is “guarded.”

Star resides in a secure pen adjacent to Whitehead’s home at the outskirts of downtown Anchorage. It has been over two decades since anyone last attempted to tamper with the enclosure where reindeer named Star have been housed for the last seventy years. Star is the seventh reindeer to bear that name.

In early January, an intruder cut a large hole in the fencing to access the pen, spending around five minutes inside with Star before fleeing. The specific actions taken during this time remain unclear, but Star began experiencing digestive troubles and notable weight loss shortly thereafter.

On February 20, Anchorage police discovered the friendly and trusting reindeer wandering around downtown and took him back home.

Upon reviewing his security footage, Whitehead discovered that someone had used bolt cutters to remove padlocks from Star’s pen and an adjoining alley gate. Star followed the intruder out into the neighborhood and ended up wandering alone downtown, an area he’s familiar with because Whitehead often takes him there.

The situation escalated the following evening.

While observing the video feed, Whitehead witnessed a man wearing a scarf over his face spraying something from two different cans into Star’s pen, even hitting the reindeer in the face with an unknown substance on two occasions.

Whitehead hurried outside to confront the man.

“I shouted at him to stop and asked, ‘What the hell are you doing? What are you spraying on the animal? Don’t do that, stop!’” Whitehead recounted.

The man responded, “I’m trying to help Star.”

“I have no idea what he meant by that,” Whitehead said, suspecting—based on the odors—that the sprays might have been disinfectants or deodorizers.

Both Whitehead and the police believe this could be the same individual from the previous night, although it’s still unclear if the January tampering was also done by him.

“I don’t think the individual intended to hurt Star, but his actions ended up causing damage,” Whitehead remarked.

Anchorage police shared the surveillance video on social media, seeking assistance in identifying the suspect. So far, no substantial tips have emerged, according to spokesperson Christopher Barraza.

Star’s pneumonia has deteriorated, and Whitehead suspects he may have ingested something harmful while he was wandering around.

The pneumonia is likely a result of him accidentally inhaling the contents from the reindeer’s largest stomach, which may have been caused by chronic reflux or regurgitation, according to Holland. The sprays might also have played a role in this.

While a blockage is a possibility, the size of the largest stomach in a reindeer makes it resistant to such issues. However, veterinarian Holland noted that plastic bags causing chronic weight loss and digestive problems are among the most common foreign materials found in reindeer.

If necessary, surgery could be performed to examine the reindeer’s abdomen and potentially remove any blockage, although typically, the prognosis is poor, even for healthy deer.

The bond between Whitehead and Star is described as “quite significant and precious,” according to Holland.

“Albert’s daily routine and motivation for going out for walks revolve around Star. Likewise, Star has a strong attachment to Albert,” Holland remarked in a text. “It would be incredibly devastating for him to lose Star.”

The reindeer tradition in Anchorage was started by pioneers Oro and Ivan Stewart, who brought deer gifted by an Alaska Native herder to the city in the 1950s. Whitehead became the caretaker in 2002, taking over from his friends.

While the average lifespan of a reindeer is approximately 15 years, some Stars have lived longer; the first Star reached 23 years. Unfortunately, others didn’t fare as well, like the second Star, who was stolen, beaten to death, and butchered by a known meat thief from Fairbanks. The third Star died after ingesting a plastic bag.

By Mark Thiessen