Reindeer Owners Might Face a Legal “Ban” in the UK

Dasher, Dancer, Donner, Blitzen… and not forgetting Rudolph. Reindeer are a part of Christmas celebrations just as much as Santa, snowmen and stockings! Though in the wild reindeer typically live in the cold Arctic region, they can be seen in the UK in zoos, on farms and even in towns around the Christmas season. Many Christmas fairs and markets have small pens of reindeer to create a festive mood and give us the chance to get up close to Santa’s favourite sleigh-pullers. But, as one farmer has found, the rules around keeping reindeer might be getting stricter. Let’s examine this more closely.

What Are Reindeer? Are They Wild Animals?

Reindeer, or caribou, are a type of deer found in the Arctic and subarctic regions of Canada, Russia, Scandinavia, Finland and other northern countries. Scientists believe they evolved from other deer around 2 million years ago, during the last ice age, where their range extended much further south into Eurasia and North America. They provided a valuable food source for prehistoric humans, and when the ice receded north, ancestors of modern Arctic peoples such as the Sámi, Evenki and Inuit, followed them.

Today, reindeer are a vital source of transport in the Arctic regions, pulling sleds over ground where cars cannot go. Their meat and milk are a common source of protein in Scandinavia, their fur can be sold, and other body parts may be used as tools – many Arctic peoples rely on reindeer for their income.

Though there are truly wild herds of reindeer in Norway, Finland, Russia, Greenland, Canada and Alaska, USA (some herds have interbred with farmed reindeer), many Arctic peoples own reindeer in free-roaming herds, marked with ear tags to show ownership. There are also reindeer fully bred in captivity that are kept on farms. This means many people consider reindeer to be ‘semi-domesticated’, unlike modern cows, dogs or sheep that are fully domesticated. This has considerations for anyone wishing to keep them within the UK, as we will see next. It is believed that reindeer were first domesticated around 2-3000 years ago in modern-day Russia, Finland and Scandinavia. Unlike other wild animals, scholars believe that because wild reindeer are relatively docile (wild adults can be milked by humans), domestication was not considered necessary and took place relatively late compared to other domesticated animals.

Why is One UK Farmer Facing a Tightening of the Rules?

A farmer in Yeovil, Somerset, UK, has owned reindeer for 14 years, and frequently opens their farm up to schools, colleges, hospitals and disability groups for reindeer ‘meet-and-greets’. They also take their 10 reindeer to Christmas-themed events. Previously they ran their business using an Animal Activity Licence. However, in October 2025, their local council informed them that following a “review of the law and guidance”, reindeer would be considered ‘dangerous wild animals’ and the farm would have to apply for a Zoo Licence to continue operating their business as it stands. Without, the farm could only display their reindeer for 6 days a year maximum. One newspaper reported this review was initiated following a complaint against the business.

It has been reported that a four-year licence from their council would cost the farm £2747, and also require several safety measures, including holding firearms, to be implemented. The farmer claims that this cost would be unaffordable, they have had to cancel bookings for next year, and should the decision not be reversed, may require them to euthanise their 10 reindeer and close the business. They argue that their reindeer, which were all born on the farm, are not dangerous and should not be regulated under the same laws as lions, hippopotamuses and buffalo.

What Are the UK Laws Around Keeping Reindeer?

As is often the case, the laws surrounding keeping reindeer in the UK are complex, so we will do our best to try and untangle the legislation. Note that all animals regardless of type must be kept in a suitable environment, with suitable diet, space and housing, and remain free from pain, suffering, injury and disease, as per the Animal Welfare Act (2006).

First, The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations (2018)

This regulates businesses receiving an Animal Activity Licence. This is required for anyone running a business that owns animals and displays or films them for profit. A local authority (usually a county council) inspector determines whether a business meets the threshold – the Yeovil farm in question clearly does by offering reindeer ‘meet-and-greets’, and already holds this licence. The law requires holders to display the licence prominently, only keep the number and type of animals permitted by the licence, the animals are kept in a suitable environment with suitable diet (with various criteria to meet), there are enough competent staff members, animals are protected from pain, and interactions with the public are monitored. This licence is not required for anyone running a zoo (which requires a separate zoo licence).

Second, the Dangerous Wild Animals Act (1976)

This law regulates the keeping of certain dangerous wild animals in order to protect the public. The act lists animals that are included – reindeer are included in this act, though notably Domestic Reindeer are considered an exception. It requires a similar inspection from a Local Authority. This licence is also not required for anyone running a zoo. The legislation is not 100% clear but appears to apply to some businesses requiring an Animal Activity Licence. However, presumably, a business with dangerous animals may not be granted such licence as the safety of the public could not be guaranteed.

Finally, the Zoo Licensing Act (1981)

This piece of legislation requires anyone who meets certain criteria to apply for a zoo licence. These criteria include keeping wild animals for exhibition and members of the public having access for seven days or more per year. The legislation states ‘wild animals’ are animals not normally domesticated in Great Britain – it does not specify species, unlike the previous act. To obtain and maintain a zoo licence requires a lot more criteria to be met, including early application, periodical inspections, education of the public and high standards of animal care. There is no mention specifically about holding firearms, but a plan must be in place in case of animal escape, which may include firearms or tranquiliser darts. Failure to maintain these criteria require the owner to arrange care for the animals elsewhere or dispose (presumably euthanise) of them, and can incur heavy fines.

What These Laws Mean for the Farm?

Given the farm is trying to argue the council’s decision has gone too far, there may be some varying interpretations for how the laws apply here. Bear in mind, we do not have all the details for how the farm is run and how the council made their decision.

Clearly, as we stated above, the farm requires an Animal Activity Licence, which it already holds.

However, do they require a licence under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act?

The Yeovil farm claims their reindeer were all born on the farm, which, in our opinion, could make them domestic reindeer and thus exempt from this requirement – a Local Authority inspector would, of course, have to make the final judgement. We believe that the arguments made by the media that the farm’s reindeer are clearly docile creatures, and thus the council has gone too far, is likely a consequence of this discrepancy between reindeer’s classification under law and these individual reindeers’ demeanour. None of the council’s reported comments mention this act, so we believe it is not a factor in their decision-making.

The Zoo Licensing Act is also tricky to navigate

In our opinion, we can see the argument why the farm may be classed as a zoo. The farm displays animals for more than 6 days per year, and have animals ‘not normally domesticated in Great Britain’. It seems that the council is primarily driven by this act, as they specifically state the farm can operate as normal for a maximum of 6 days per year under their current licence. The discrepancy between the Dangerous Wild Animals Act (where domestic reindeer are excluded) and the Zoo Licensing Act (where all reindeer are seemingly wild) creates an area of interpretation that can make this specific council’s decision seem arbitrary and unfair. The MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, Sarah Dyke (Liberal Democrats), has argued that this law is interpreted differently by different councils and that she is looking to introduce clarification of the law to create parity between councils, primarily by emphasising that domestic reindeer should not be included. Thus, until the law is clarified and domestic reindeer excluded, the council’s decision does seem reasonable on a legal stance.

Welfare issues?

It is also important to remember that reportedly the council has decided to investigate this farm based on a complaint made against it. We have no information on what this complaint is and whether there is any validity to it, but we do know that reindeer in the UK are not always kept in the best conditions. An investigation last holiday season found that of reindeer displayed in towns at Christmas events, 75% were stressed, 75% were contained in poor conditions and 87.5% faced loud noise exposure. A member of a Scottish animal charity group even stated, “the evidence is clear; reindeer did suffer in at least some of the UK’s Christmas celebrations…” Again, without making any claims against this particular farm, it is important to remember that all of the above legislation requires animals to be protected from harm of all kinds – local authorities have the power to revoke licences if it deems animal welfare has been breached, so perhaps their decision to require a zoo licence was made to encourage improved animal welfare at this farm?

Final Thoughts

The story is still ongoing, and no doubt we will hear further updates in the media. Remember that these types of stories are highly emotionally charged, we often don’t hear the full story, and most decisions are made on a variety of factors. Arguably, there is sufficient evidence to at least tighten the enforcement for people showing reindeer at Christmas events to avoid the high percentage of suffering seen last Christmas, but welfare-friendly events on farm provide a valuable experience for many people, as the Yeovil farmer argues, and perhaps should be classed differently to those running a zoo.

Ultimately, animal welfare should trump all arguments, and if animal welfare standards cannot be maintained for reindeer at Christmas shows, or even on farms within the UK, keeping them in this way should be stopped. It might be lovely to see Santa’s magical reindeer in the UK, but always remember that reindeer are not native to Britain and might well prefer running free across the Arctic tundra.