Falmouth University

Below showcases the various projects during my time at Falmouth from 2018 to 2021.

The Reindeer Down the Road

When you picture reindeer, you may visualise large, beautiful mammals in their thousands crossing the never-ending tundra on their annual migration. This portfolio tells a different narrative to this Christmas tale, exploring what life is like for the many reindeer living in Britain.

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On the outskirts of South-West England, you can find Cotswold Reindeer Herd, ran by Andrew and Clare. Andrew is the face to the company, often dressing in red and green to impersonate a certain Christmas icon.

Andrew and Clare will often find themselves working from dusk until dawn, particularly on the run up to Christmas. With visitors and film crews taking up their daylight hours, they have no alternative but for maintenance and feeding in the evening.

Feeding time is when the reindeer are the most energetic, similar to any household pet. However, with their long, hard antlers it can be quite a dangerous time of day. It is not uncommon for the couple to finish their day with bruises on their body.

Fetching fresh hay for twenty-one reindeer, is a mammoth task for any one man. Regardless, it is how Andrew starts every single day. Andrew has forty-two antlers to contend with. Thus, it comes as no surprise that he is constantly repairing elements of the shelter to keep the reindeer dry and safe.

Herders do not stop their commercial festivities at reindeer but often have other sources of revenue available. The Cotswold Reindeer Herd sell homegrown Christmas trees alongside a "Santa's Grotto" experience, both of these were in decline in 2020 due to the difficulties that the COVID-19 regulations caused. More than ever, the reindeer were crucial to their income.

During 2020, all reindeer herds across the globe were affected in their seasonal parades due to the COVID-19 pandemic and it's ability to spread from ruminant to ruminant. Public displays were very sparse. Regardless, Cotswold Reindeer Herd still controversially continued their school visits and private, home events.

This required them to coax two reindeer into the back of a trailer, using rope attached to a facial harness. Once they were in and ready they travelled to numerous school, some more than two hours away.

The reindeer here have never suffered from a bad nights sleep. They have seemingly endless trust in Andrew and Clare, to sleep soundly around them, often with their backs to facing them. They have complete confidence that they are safe and protected.

This image portrays the side which the public are sold. A Christmas-esque, idealistic reindeer in a serene green field. Unfortunately, the effects of keeping reindeer during the summer in England goes unnoticed since they are forgotten about once the holiday period is over.

Reindeer are found across the whole country, often unnoticed and kept out of sight. It is not uncommon to have a field of reindeer beside a main road, in this case the A30.

Typically, when people reach a midlife crisis, it is not uncommon for them to buy expensive cars, travel or make a lifestyle change. However, in Kettering, one woman decided to start her own reindeer herd after spending the majority of her life working with horses.. In Britain, there are no restrictions or rules on who can own reindeer since they come under the same classification as cats and dogs. This is despite the fact, they require very specific care and are used almost entirely for live animal entertainment.

In all animal captivity circumstances there has always been questionable practices. How we treat and handle animals is constantly changing with new research into animal welfare and behaviour. It is known that reindeer are at high risk from stress which can cause them to deteriorate, quickly leading to death. Hence why it is so important for them to be in the right environment and handled correctly.

In Dudley Zoo, you can find a small herd of reindeer. One of the biggest debates within the animal activist community is whether or not zoos are ethical. Although the conversation is not black and white, the worst kept reindeer I found were behind these bars. It was considerably worse than the privately owned herds, due to the lack of attention they were receiving compared to the other animals.

These ruminants are used to the extreme temperatures of the Arctic, they survive these harsh conditions due to their fur. On a magnified level, the thin hairs are hollow like a straw. This not only provides excellent insulation but also great buoyancy for swimming, accompanied by a thick, waterproof layer in their coat. There is a general lack of knowledge of reindeer in U.K veterinary practices, it has been reported that they will guess the weight of the reindeer based of farm animals of a similar size. However, due to their hollow fur they are considerably lighter than they look, leading to inaccurate dosages being prescribed.

Although the Cairngorm Reindeer Herd are known for being free roaming on the mountain side, the pregnant, injured or old reindeer can be found next to the main visitor centre across from Loch Morlich. Not only does this allow the rangers to keep a close eye on the vulnerable reindeer but it also enables them to be accessible to disabled or elderly visitors.

Hikers will frequently bump into the Cairngorm reindeer by chance. However, with such an expansive area in which to roam, there are some tell tale signs that they are close by. This includes snow tracks, hair and hoof prints.

Barking Bobbies

Following my intrigue with how we rely on animals in our day to day lives, I have set out to investigate canines in the police. This has allowed me to gain further knowledge into how they develop their skills as Training Police Dogs (TPD’s) to when they become qualified Police Dogs (PD’s). In this portfolio, I focus on dogs within Devon and Cornwall.

Click on an image for a full caption and scroll down for more images.

Retired Rovers

This portfolio focuses on the life of police dogs once their duties are over, often referred to as RPD’s (Retired Police Dogs). They serve until they no longer can, whether that be from a medical condition or old age. The average age of retirement is around eight years old. Sometimes they will be given to a brand-new family or they stay with their police handler for the rest of their time.

I had the privilege of meeting three different handlers: Andy, a recently retired police officer and ex-Royal Marine. Wendy, a teaching assistant with a love of German Shepherd’s and finally Police Constable Marc who is still active in the force.

Conservation in Falmouth

The Friends of Tregoniggie Woodland and Prislow Woods are two conservation groups based in Falmouth, Cornwall. They work to conserve their local woodland and to educate children. They work along the same part of the green belt which stretches through Falmouth.

Reindeer

Police Dogs

Local Conservation

JESS CHARLESWORTH

OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Falmouth University

Contents

The Reindeer Down the Road

Barking Bobbies

Retired Rovers

Conservation in Falmouth