Lightning Kills Over 300 Wild Reindeer and 70 Calves In Norwegian National Park

The Norwegian Environment Agency is reporting that lightning has killed over 300 wild reindeer and 70 calves at a Norwegian national park.

Steve Goodman, a scientist with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s Satellite Service said that he has heard of groups of cows being killed when lightning strikes the ground, as the lightning can spread for hundreds and hundreds of meters.

The Norwegian national park of Hardangervidda is the largest high mountain plateau in northern Europe spanning 8,000 sq km. It is home to a wild reindeer population of between 10,000 to 11,000.

Goodman goes on to explain that Norway is not a hotspot for severe lightning. In an average year, the southern Norway area receives, one lightning strike per sq km.

It is reported that the scale of this recent wild reindeer deaths has never been seen before in Norway.