Iconic pet reindeer in Alaska falls mysteriously ill after someone tampers in his pen
An iconic reindeer so beloved that he has been in parades, featured on reality TV shows and visited by schoolchildren on field trips in Alaska’s largest city is fighting for his life after mysteriously falling ill after someone tampered with his pen.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An iconic reindeer so beloved that he has been in parades, featured on reality TV shows and visited by schoolchildren on field trips in Alaska’s largest city is fighting for his life after mysteriously falling ill after someone tampered with his pen.
Ever since, 8-year-old Star has had pneumonia, digestion issues and rapid weight loss. Star’s owner, Albert Whitehead, has taken him to a veterinarian every other day to receive care and in hopes of finding a cause for the issues.
“I think we’ve done everything possible for him,” Whitehead said. Veterinarian Sabrieta Holland said she the reindeer’s prognosis is “guarded.”
Star lives in a fenced-in pen attached to Whitehead’s house at the edge of downtown Anchorage. It’s been over 20 years since someone last tried to tamper with the enclosure where reindeer named Star have been kept for the last seven decades. Star is the seventh in a line of reindeer to carry that name.
In early January, someone cut a huge hole in the fencing to gain entrance, spending about five minutes inside with Star before taking off. What the person did in the pen is unknown, but Star began having stomach issues and dropping weight shortly after.
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