Escaped Reindeer Found Hiding Under Elf House

LAKELAND, Fla. -- A reindeer escaped from a nativity scene in Lakeland, but was later caught hiding under an elf house, police said Tuesday.

While the story sounds like a Christmas tale, police say it's true. A caller to police early Tuesday morning said the reindeer had escaped from the nativity scene at Highland Park Church of the Nazarene on Lake Highlands Road.

Church personnel responded to the area where the reindeer, appropriately named Rudy (short for Rudolph, of course), was seen running loose. They chased the deer around the property before finding Rudy hiding under the "elf house," police said.

Rudy, who was unharmed, is now in the care of his owner and being kept at his house to prevent another escape from his enclosure on the church property. Police said Rudy is small in stature and, while he looks like a baby deer, he is actually 3 years old.

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Look out, Rudolph!

UK supermarket Lidl is under fire for stocking reindeer meat and is accused of destroying the magic of Christmas.

Story includes a recipe for reindeer stew if you're interested.

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Watch Santa and his reindeer fly

Beginning at 2:00 am MTN on Christmas Eve, you can track Santa Live as he makes his historical journey around the world!

This is exciting, as Santa travels fast and NORAD Santa Cams take photos of Santa and his reindeer!

NORAD has been tracking Santa and that “nose so bright” for more than 50 years.

Reindeer Facts

Just one night each year, nine tiny magic reindeer pull Santa and his toy-filled sleigh around the world. They are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph, and it’s said that these mythical animals are the only reindeer that can fly.

Dr. Perry Barboza is a physiologist at the Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska at Fairbanks, who studies reindeer and their closest cousins, caribou.

He points to the fact that male reindeer shed their thick antlers at the end of mating season in early December. The females also have antlers, but their thinner version stays with them throughout the winter. This means that Rudolph and Santa's team are all females.

What about the non-magical reindeer, the ones which don't fly?

At the start of winter, females may be as much as 50% body fat. The fat, which can be a couple of inches thick on their rumps, insulates them from months of cold -- as low as minus 45° F.

Males go into winter with much lower fat stores than females, as low as 5%, because they use so much energy during the fall mating season. So, losing the weight of their antlers is probably an energy saver.

Reindeer have specially designed coats with hollow hairs that help maintain body heat.

Reindeer Jelly Bean Candy Poopers

# Santa`s reindeer dispenses dainty doo doo candy for the munching pleasure of your friends and loved ones.
# Reindeer Length : 4 Inches
# Push down on rear of reindeer to dispense yummy brown jelly beans.

Reindeer calf joined goat herd

A young and apparently lonesome reindeer took up company with a herd of goats in the Norwegian mountains this week, and then followed them right into their barn when milking time rolled around.

Rancher Einar Lie of Norway got quite a surprise when he went into the barn to milk his goats.

The wild reindeer apparently comes from a herd in the mountainous area. Lie thinks the calf was separated from his mother and simply attached himself to the herd of goats instead.

"He must have survived alone for awhile, and then followed the goats home from their grazing area," Lie said.

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