Reindeer in region of Lapland, Finland, are famous worldwide. They are also very busy at this time of year. That's because they are helping Santa Claus to deliver presents to children all over world. However, animals are facing great danger. Reindeer herders report that increasing number of reindeer are being killed by wolves. The Reindeer Herders' Association in Finland says wolves have killed around 1,950 reindeer this year. That is 70 per cent increase from last year. Juha Kujala, Lapland herder, is worried about future of his animals. He said there has been sudden increase in the number of wolves in Finland. This has upset natural balance between reindeer and wolves.
Mr Kujala joked to reporters about his animals, even though he is worried about them. He said: "These are Santa's reindeer. But we are really lucky because Santa needs them for only one day of year, so we can fly them for other 364 days." Many herders believe Ukraine War is reason why there are suddenly more wolves in Finland. They say that men who used to hunt wolves in Russia have gone to fight in Ukraine. This means many wolves are crossing 1,340-km border between Russia and Finland. Kujala said: "It's worse since Ukraine War started. The wolves are coming from Russian side. There's nobody left hunting wolves."
