ORPHAN
OPRHAN
The young reindeer gone too soon
I saw you rolled up in the snow. A beautiful, photo I thought. You were both beautiful, cuddling in the cold. You saw me me and kept an eye open. It was a beautiful encounter, until you moved slightly, showing me distance was needed. Vulnerability. The Reindeer group was some meters further, and you decided to gain security among them. Your brother stayed there…without a move, and I understood. By the looks of it, it wasn’t more than a few hours since the cold took you. Orphan left the frozen desolated landscapes and is now eating grass on blooming meadows. Arctic Foxes will celebrate on his remains…
Culring on the Mountainside
The Svalbard reindeer are numerous on the archipelago and are thus quite easy to find. During winter, they like to roam on the moutainsides, it is one of the best places to find food when waiting for the summer, as the wind usually blows off the snow from the steeps.
More calves than mothers
The reindeer cows give birth to a single calf usually in May. Seeing more calves than mothers in a herd during the winter means some calves have lost their mother, lowering considerably their chance of survival.
Frozen
The body of Orphan was still soft. Meaning it wasn’t long since he had passed away. The core of his open eye, exposed to the cold temperatures, had started to freeze.