In Anchorage, Alaska, an adored reindeer named Star finds himself battling for survival following a perplexing illness that struck after his pen was tampered with. This celebrated reindeer, often seen in parades and reality TV shows, as well as on schoolchildren’s field trips, is now facing severe health challenges. These issues began after someone entered his pen unlawfully.
Star, who is eight years old, has developed pneumonia along with digestion troubles and has experienced a drastic drop in weight. His owner, Albert Whitehead, has been diligently taking him to a veterinarian every other day in an attempt to determine the root cause of the reindeer’s ailments.
According to Whitehead, “I think we’ve done everything possible for him.” The veterinarian, Sabrieta Holland, described Star’s current condition as “guarded.”
Star resides in a securely fenced area next to Whitehead’s residence on the outskirts of downtown Anchorage. This enclosure has housed reindeer named Star for more than seventy years, and this is the seventh reindeer to bear that name. The last known tampering with the pen occurred over two decades ago.
Earlier in January, an intruder entered the pen by cutting a large hole in the fence, spending about five minutes with Star before leaving abruptly. Star began showing symptoms of stomach upset and weight loss shortly after this incident. On February 20th, Anchorage police discovered the friendly reindeer roaming downtown, promptly returning him to Whitehead.
Upon reviewing footage from security cameras, Whitehead discovered someone had used bolt cutters to remove the padlocks from Star’s pen and an adjacent alley gate. Star had followed this individual into the neighborhood and wandered alone through streets he was familiar with due to walks with Whitehead.
The following night, the situation took a more dire turn. While monitoring the video feed, Whitehead saw a man wearing a scarf over his face, who sprayed substances from two cans into Star’s pen, also striking the reindeer in the face. Whitehead hastily confronted the man, demanding, “What the hell are you doing? What are you spraying on the animal?” The man’s response was cryptic: “I’m trying to help Star.”
Though the man’s actions were puzzling and seemingly well-intended, Whitehead suspects they inadvertently harmed Star. He noted the possible use of what smelled like a disinfectant and deodorizer. The identity of this individual remains unknown.
The Anchorage police have released the surveillance video on social media, hoping to identify the suspect, but have not received any credible leads.
Star’s condition continued to decline as pneumonia worsened. A persistent cough led Whitehead to suspect the reindeer might have ingested something toxic during his unauthorized excursion. Holland, the veterinarian, explained that Star’s pneumonia is likely due to inhaling regurgitated material from his largest stomach and postulated that the sprays could have also contributed.
There remains the possibility of an obstruction in Star’s stomach, though this is uncommon given the size of a reindeer’s stomach. However, Holland mentioned that ingestion of plastic bags could cause significant digestive distress and weight loss in reindeer.
If the condition does not improve, surgery might be considered, yet Holland cautioned that such a procedure typically yields poor results, even for healthy deer.
The bond shared between Star and Whitehead is deeply meaningful. As Holland noted, “Albert’s daily life revolves around Star,” and the thought of losing him is heart-wrenching.
The tradition of keeping reindeer named Star began with Anchorage pioneers Oro and Ivan Stewart, who introduced reindeer to the city in the 1950s. Whitehead took over the role of caretaker in 2002. Although reindeer generally have a lifespan of around 15 years, some Stars have lived longer, with the first living to 23 years, while others faced untimely ends, such as the second Star who was killed by a thief, and the third who died from ingesting a plastic bag.