3,000 reindeer to be killed to help environment

OSLO -- About 3,000 reindeer on an island near Antarctica are to be slaughtered to stop damage to the environment by the descendants of a tiny herd introduced a century ago for food by Norwegian whale hunters.

A 16-strong team, mostly Sami reindeer herders, has arrived in South Georgia, a British overseas territory, to round up and cull all the reindeer on an island that is home to penguins and seals and has no native grazing animals.

"The reindeer have become very destructive," said Reidar Andersen, director of the Norwegian Nature Inspectorate, which oversees the team. Reindeer naturally live only in Arctic or sub-Arctic regions.

The animals have trampled native plants, caused erosion and pose a threat to king penguins and local birds such as the pipit and pintail by destroying their nests.

Most of the deer will be killed with a bolt gunshot to the head. Rifles will be used in remote areas. The project is to last two Southern Hemisphere summers. -- Reuters