COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway is rebuilding a dilapidated reindeer fence alongside its border with Russia within the Artic to cease the animals from wandering into the neighboring nation — expensive strolls for which Oslo has to compensate Moscow over lack of grassland.
Norwegian officers stated Thursday that to date this yr, 42 reindeer have crossed into Russia in search of higher pastures and grazing land.
The reindeer barrier alongside the Norway-Russia border spans 150 kilometers (93 miles) and dates again to 1954. The Norwegian Agriculture Company stated a stretch of about 7 kilometers (4 miles) between the Norwegian cities of Hamborgvatnet and Storskog would get replaced.
The development, with a price ticket of three.7 million kroner ($348,000), is to be accomplished by Oct. 1, the company stated.
The work is a problem, nevertheless, as the employees have to remain on the Norwegian aspect of the border “always” throughout building, “which makes the work further demanding,” stated Magnar Evertsen of the company. If a employee crossed into Russian territory, with no Russian visa, that will quantity to unlawful entry.
The reindeer crossings convey on a whole lot of extra forms. Russia has despatched two compensation claims, the company stated.
One claims is for practically 50,000 kroner ($4,700) per reindeer that crossed into Russia to graze within the sprawling Pasvik Zapovednik pure reserve within the Russian Murmansk area. The opposite declare is asking for a lump sum of practically 47 million kroner ($4.4 million) in whole for the times the animals grazed within the park, which consists largely of lakes, rivers, forests and marshland.
The company stated that of the 42 animals that entered Russia this yr, 40 have been introduced again to Norway and the remaining two are anticipated to return again quickly.
The returned animals have since been slaughtered out of concern that they might wander again to Russia, Evertsen stated. The Norwegian Meals Security Authority could demand the carcasses be destroyed for security causes, the federal government physique stated in a press release.
The reindeer are herded by the Indigenous Sami individuals in central and Arctic Norway. Previously often called the Lapps, the Sami are believed to have originated in Central Asia and settled with their reindeer herds in Arctic Europe round 9,000 years in the past.
They historically dwell in Lapland, which stretches from northern elements of Norway via Sweden and Finland to Russia. Throughout the Arctic area, the bulk dwell on the Norwegian aspect of the border.