EARTH A New Wild | Reindeer Castration — Does It Still Happen? | PBS

www.pbs.org/earthanewwild
Two-Hour premiere Wednesday, February 4, 2015 at 9:00 p.m. ET
Castrating male reindeer helps to maintain the diversity of the tundra — but how? Large males of a reindeer herd are important for a healthy tundra. Using large antlers, they dig up the most snow to expose the ground for other reindeer to graze. However, during the annual rut males fight and mate rather than dig for grass and lichen. This is why castrating males is still practiced.The old technique of biting is being brought back because it is less severe than modern methods.