Students at Ashcroft School and Inscape House School have been so good this year, that Father Christmas decided to surprise them. On 12 December, Comet and Dancer, two of the beloved reindeer aged just two years old and eight months old, came galloping to Cheadle.
When out and about on visits the tame reindeer love to make lots of new friends, be hand fed their treats and have their photo taken. The students loved the opportunity to learn more about the animals and ask their handlers about the lives of reindeer.
Some fun facts we learned on the day
- Both male and female reindeer grow antlers, while in most other deer species, only the males have antlers.
- Unlike horns which are never shed, antlers fall off and grow back larger each year.
- Reindeer are covered in hair from their nose to the bottom of their hooves. The hairy hooves give reindeer a good grip when walking on frozen ground, ice, mud, and snow.
- Reindeer are the only deer species to have hair completely covering their nose.
