Reindeer's Christmas gift: animal sanctuary fundraising to get Sven the 'heartbroken' reindeer a new friend

The owner of a grieving reindeer is trying to raise the funds to bring him a new companion currently living more than 300 miles away - so he isn't "lonely this Christmas".

Heartbroken Sven lost his stable-mate Klaus three weeks ago after a short, sudden illness, leaving him alone at Little Haven Farm in Hull, East Yorkshire. The animal sanctuary's owner, Suzie Wright, was concerned that because caribou are herd animals, Sven might "die from loneliness".

Ms Wright has found a female reindeer available in Dorset, but now needs to raise £4,000 so the doe can be brought to her "lovely boy”. She has launched a Just Giving campaign to help fund his new friend, and her journey.

“The sooner the better. It would be great for Christmas. If I could get her in next week, I would have her in then," she told SWNS. Suzie bought Sven and Klaus in October 2020, and the pair helped local school kids feel the festive spirit during the pandemic. The two males lived happily together for the next three years.

Ms Wright was worried about how Sven would cope with his companion's loss. “He’s a herd animal, and they become very, very lonely - and can die from loneliness. So if we’re looking at it in a really drastic way, you could be saving his life.

“They need to be with others as they can’t survive on their own for long periods. They might see people, but it’s not the same as mixing with their own kind," she continued. "But we don’t get any outside funding from anywhere else. There isn’t the money there - the money we get in just covers the basic overheads, like the feed."

Sven was "super friendly" and followed her around the 15-acre estate "like a dog", she said. "He’s just a lovely boy. I can give him a hug if I want to."

Ms Wright has opted for a female companion for Sven this time around, so they wouldn't have to be separated during the rutting season - when male deer typically fight to assert their dominance. They also needed to be a similar in age, she said. "The new female is three and he’s four, so there’s a nice age gap, but not too big.”

While she had no plans for Sven and his new mate to have any baby reindeer, she said it could happen in the future if they were a good match. “It’s possible, potentially, because he’s not castrated, but one step at a time," she added. “We’ll see what happens... We haven’t gone for a female for that reason but it may be a by-product later on, we’ll have to see.”

Suzie, who is also a primary school teacher, acquired the farm in July 2020, and said it had become a bit like a "Noah’s Arc" as more and more critters joined her. It was now home to more than 40 different animals, from goats to guinea pigs.