A PAIR of reindeer have taken a rest from helping Santa in Lapland to spend Christmas in a zoo near Leek.
The two females have set up home in Blackbrook Zoo, in Winkhill, ready to help the zookeepers and visitors get in to the festive spirit.
The four-year-olds travelled up from Exmoor to join the animals and birds at Blackbrook and keepers say they offer visitors a unique chance to meet a pair of real reindeer.
Deputy curator Mark Titterton said: “It’s a great opportunity because they’re a fascinating animal and how many people have seen them in real life? “Christmas cards and so on seem to paint a false picture of them being big brown creatures with red noses where, in reality, they’re much smaller and aren’t always what people expect.
“They’re predominantly built to survive harsh winters, so they’re the only deer where both male and females have antlers — for digging the snow. They also have large cloven feet to give them grip.” Visitors can call in to see the deer from Monday, November 30, but Mr Titterton recommends ringing ahead to check on seasonal opening hours.
Santa himself will be setting up a grotto from Saturday, December 5.
The zookeepers now want help in thinking up names for their new reindeer and Your Leek Paper readers are invited to send in suggestions. Email the zoo at blackbrook@fsmail.net or call 01538 308293.