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Thirteen Recently Dead Svalbard Reindeer Found During Summer Counts

Live Svalbard reindeer on summer tundra at Reinsdyrflya
Conservation · Threats

Thirteen recently dead Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) had been found during the 2026 summer population counts in Adventdalen, Reindalen and adjoining valleys. The Governor of Svalbard reported the unusual mortality on 6 August.

The animals included 11 females and two males. The Governor described the findings as highly unusual because reproductive females and adult males do not normally die in notable numbers during summer.

Three recently dead reindeer had already been examined by veterinarians in July, and several samples had been collected. No cause of death had been established when the notice was published.

The Governor asked hunters and others travelling in the area to report newly dead animals with the date, GPS position, photographs or video and information about the animal. Fresh carcasses could then be assessed for further investigation.

Sources and image credit

  1. Governor of Svalbard. (2026, August 6). Meld fra om nylig døde reinsdyr.Primary authority notice. Thirteen recently dead Svalbard reindeer—11 females and two males—had been reported during summer counts in Adventdalen, Reindalen and adjoining valleys. Three animals had been necropsied, but the cause remained unknown.

Image: Andreas Weith — live Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) on the tundra of Reinsdyrflya, Svalbard, Norway, 27 July 2015; Wikimedia Commons Quality Image, CC BY-SA 4.0. Illustrative summer photograph; not animals from the 2026 mortality event. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

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